tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88094380357463422622019-05-23T19:49:48.385-07:00NEW PAPYRUSThe online magazine of science, technology, socioeconomics, politics, and the futureMarcel F. Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16245086958213100840noreply@blogger.comBlogger488125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8809438035746342262.post-340046943204600972019-05-09T20:29:00.000-07:002019-05-10T08:37:09.986-07:00Blue Origin's Blue Moon Lunar Lander <iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/t5SlgULv30Y" width="410"></iframe><br /><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hmk1oHzvNKA" width="410"></iframe><br /><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GQ98hGUe6FM" width="410"></iframe><br />Marcel F. Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16245086958213100840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8809438035746342262.post-54555874425231358012019-04-30T13:49:00.000-07:002019-04-30T13:49:36.129-07:00The Fastest, Safest, and Most Economically Sustainable Way to Return to the Lunar Surface<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B_nrpSTVitA/XLyIqANfbAI/AAAAAAAAEuU/V38qPLgEaBovFHBk_jMnim1HzWJo0z8LwCLcBGAs/s1600/moon_full_nasa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="550" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B_nrpSTVitA/XLyIqANfbAI/AAAAAAAAEuU/V38qPLgEaBovFHBk_jMnim1HzWJo0z8LwCLcBGAs/s400/moon_full_nasa.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />by Marcel F. Williams <br /><br /><i>&nbsp;<b>“I’m taking nothing off the table, and we’re not compromising safety. Anything we don’t need to do we can delay. There’s future launches, there’s future things we can test, but right now, how do we get boots on the moon in 2024?”</b></i><b>&nbsp; <span style="font-size: small;">(NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine)</span></b><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">I</span>t is now a directive of the Executive Branch of the United States for American astronauts to return to the surface of the Moon by 2024.</b> But the type of transportation infrastructure developed for a US return to the lunar surface could largely determine whether, or not,&nbsp; America will strategically and economically dominate the Moon, cis-lunar space, and the rest of the solar system. <br /><br />It is estimated that between 100 million to one billion metric tons (tonnes) of water ice may exist at the Moon's north and south poles. Exploiting polar ice deposits on the lunar surface for the production of rocket fuel is one of the principal arguments for returning to the Moon. Lunar hydrogen and oxygen propellant would make it much easier to send humans to Mars. And lunar propellant and propellant dept technology&nbsp; could also give astronauts easy access to the surfaces of Mercury and Jupiter's Galilean moon, Callisto, two additional worlds that could be potentially colonized by humans someday.&nbsp; <br /><br />Liquid oxygen comprises nearly 86% of the mass of LOX/LH2 propellant and nearly 89% of the mass of water. So even if there were no ice deposits on the Moon, the extraction of oxygen directly from the lunar regolith would provide humans with an almost endless supply of oxygen for utilization as propellant.<br /><br />So any reusable spacecraft developed to return humans to the surface of&nbsp; the Moon should also be <b>inherently designed</b>&nbsp; to utilize potential lunar propellant resources-- once such lunar resources become available. But until lunar ice and regolith resources can be exploited hydrogen and oxygen, or water,&nbsp; will have to be launched into cis-lunar space from the Earth's surface.<br /><br />The primary purpose for a Lunar Gateway at NRHO (Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit) is to make it simple and easy to routinely visit the lunar surface from that delta-v bridging location. Yet NASA is currently advocating&nbsp; a highly complex and inherently more dangerous transportation infrastructure to operate out of the NRHO Gateway. NASA's current gateway transportation architecture requires two or three different spacecraft in order to transport astronauts on a simple round trip between NRHO and the lunar surface. And the elements are not even completely reusable. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ezmsCgKWj74/XMdGQ8fPzAI/AAAAAAAAEuo/06oor71FGp4UV_JvUG7NIDwKUaQ4V0ExwCLcBGAs/s1600/Lunar%252BCrew%252BLander.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="388" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ezmsCgKWj74/XMdGQ8fPzAI/AAAAAAAAEuo/06oor71FGp4UV_JvUG7NIDwKUaQ4V0ExwCLcBGAs/s400/Lunar%252BCrew%252BLander.png" width="387" /></a></td></tr><tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><b>Notional&nbsp; Lockheed Martin reusable lunar landing spacecraft on the lunar surface (Credit: Lockheed Martin)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Lockheed Martin, on the other hand, has proposed a simple--&nbsp; single stage-- spacecraft that can operate out of NRHO. <b>And its completely reusable.</b> The Lockheed Martin's reusable spacecraft concept is derived from the ULA's future Centaur V and ACES rocket technologies. These cryogenic oxygen and hydrogen fueled upper stages will be used in the ULA' new Vulcan rocket system-- which is supposed to go into operation in 2021.<br /><br /><br /><b>Lockheed Martin's Notional&nbsp; Reusable Crewed&nbsp; Lunar Landing Vehicle </b><br /><br /><b>Propellant:</b> 40 tonnes of LOX/LH2<br /><br /><b>Inert Weight:</b> 22 tonnes<br /><br /><b>Engines:</b> Four RL-10 derived engines<br /><br /><b>Maximum delta-v capability:</b> 5.0 km/s<br /><br /><b>Maximum number of crew:</b> Four <br /><br /><br />Two of the 22 tonne Lockheed Martin lunar landing vehicles, which I will refer to as the <b>R-LL (Reusable Lunar Lander)</b>, could easily be deployed to LEO by a single Block I SLS launch within the 8.4 meter (7.5 meter internal) payload fairing equipped with an extra barrel section.&nbsp; The notional lunar spacecraft, however, would have to be fueled by propellant depots. But propellant depots would be essential if NASA is really serious about exploiting lunar resources to produce hydrogen and oxygen. So there's no logical reason not to develop cryogenic depots now! <br /><br />The optimal propellant depot design would be a-- water depot-- that simply uses solar electricity to convert liquid water into hydrogen and oxygen though electrolysis and then into liquid hydrogen and oxygen through cryo-refrigeration. However, much simpler depots could be directly derived from the propellant tanks of&nbsp; existing&nbsp; upper stages and could utilize NASA's new helium or nitrogen cryorefrigeration technology. <br /><br />Propellant could be easily transferred to a spacecraft by docking the spacecraft to the propellant depot, automatically connecting the spacecraft fuel hoses, and then firing thrusters to create simulated gravity through acceleration. Useful acceleration for propellant transfer&nbsp; can be as little as 0.00004 g. <br /><br />Both water and propellant could be easily deployed to LEO and NRHO by commercial launch vehicles. The Falcon Heavy should be able to deploy more than 15 tonnes of propellant to NRHO and the future Vulcan Heavy rocket systems should be capable of routinely deploying more than six tonnes of propellant to NRHO per launch.&nbsp; Monthly propellant launches by each system could deploy enough liquid hydrogen and oxygen to NRHO for at least six R-LL round trips to the lunar surface&nbsp; per year. NASA only sent astronauts to the moon six times from&nbsp; 1969 to 1972 during the entire Apollo program.&nbsp; <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kZEhDBRpwsQ/XMeC_M5KQ2I/AAAAAAAAEu0/bNsIPwlGq7coRrAR4gy8XJiMJXNcoXvrwCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-04-29%2Bat%2B3.57.58%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="257" data-original-width="249" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kZEhDBRpwsQ/XMeC_M5KQ2I/AAAAAAAAEu0/bNsIPwlGq7coRrAR4gy8XJiMJXNcoXvrwCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-04-29%2Bat%2B3.57.58%2BPM.png" /></a></td></tr><tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><b>Lightweight, disposable, propellant tank derived from Centaur 3 LOX tank capable of storing 26 tonnes of liquid oxygen (Credit: ULA)</b></td></tr></tbody></table>If the R-LL uses ULA's future IVF technology, then only hydrogen and oxygen would have to be transported to NRHO. However, if the R-LL uses existing Centaur rocket technology then gaseous helium will also have to be deployed to NRHO. While the helium itself would represent less than 2% of the total propellant mass, the tanks needed to deliver the helium to NRHO would be heavy and would require the helium to be&nbsp; launched to NRHO by a&nbsp; Falcon Heavy or Vulcan Heavy rocket. But using IVF technology would, obviously, make the R-LL simpler to fuel.<br /><br />Much larger depots, directly&nbsp; derived from the ULA's Centaur V or ACES upper stage rockets, could be deployed to LEO with the ability to self deploy themselves to NRHO. Such vehicles could store up to 68 tonnes of LOX/LH2 propellant.&nbsp; So Falcon Heavy and Vulcan Heavy launches to NRHO could transfer their propellant directly to the large depots for long term storage. Reusable ACES tankers could also transport propellant originally deposited by commercial launchers to LEO to NRHO. This could allow technology such as Boeing's Phantom Express to continuously deploy propellant to LEO that could later be exported to NRHO.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><u><b>Total mass of a water or propellant&nbsp; that can be deployed to LEO via daily launch of a single Phantom Express space plane: </b></u></span><br /><br /><b>Daily - 1.36&nbsp; to 2.27 tonnes</b><br /><br /><b>Monthly - 40.8&nbsp; to 68.1 tonnes</b><br /><br /><b>Yearly - 496.4&nbsp; to 828.6 tonnes&nbsp; </b><br /><br /><b>Yearly amount of water or propellant that could then be transported by reusable ACES spacecraft to NRHO by a single Phantom Express space plane:&nbsp; 200 to 330 tonnes</b>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <br /><br />Once lunar water and propellant are being manufactured on the lunar surface then the R-LL could also be used as a reusable lunar tanker. Simply replacing the crew transport module with a water tank,&nbsp; a single R-LL tanker could transport more than 40 tonnes of water to NRHO from the lunar surface. And after 12 round trips, a single&nbsp; R-LL tanker could deploy more than 480 tonnes of water to NRHO before its RL-10 derived engines would have to be replaced.<br /><br />Of course, propellant depots deployed to both LEO and NRHO would also make it easy for reusable spacecraft to travel between LEO and NRHO. So an Orion/ACES spacecraft could eliminate the need of using a super heavy lift vehicle to transport astronauts to NRHO.<br /><br />Under NASA's current scenario, billions of dollars would be spent developing three lunar elements with one or two of the expensive elements having-- no long term future-- as far as the pioneering of the Moon and the rest of the solar system is concerned. The complexity of a three stage vehicle also enhances the risk to astronauts. And it delays the-- inevitable development-- of propellant depots, a technology that is essential for the exploitation of lunar propellant resources. &nbsp; &nbsp; <br /><br />So, under the scenario presented here, the propellant depot and reusable spacecraft architecture designed to return astronauts to the Moon would give NASA and America's launch companies almost complete strategic and economic dominance over cis-lunar space by 2025. And NASA could have astronauts on the surface of the Moon at the south lunar pole before then end of 2024. <br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>SLS and Commercial Launch Scenario for Returning Astronauts to the Lunar Surface by 2024</b></u></span><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">2020</span>&nbsp;</b><br /><br /><b>SLS Block I:</b> &nbsp; Uncrewed test launch of Orion/SM/ICPS to DRO (Distant Retrograde Orbit)<br /><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">2021</span></b><br /><br /><b>SLS Block I:</b> &nbsp; Crewed launch of Orion/SM/ICPS on a trans lunar injection lunar flyby. <br /><br /><b>Commercial Launch:</b>&nbsp; Propulsion and Power Bus deployed to LEO for self deployment to NRHO<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>2022</b></span><br /><br /><b>Commercial Launch: </b>Remaining Gateway elements deployed and assembled LEO<b> </b><br /><b><br /></b><b>Commercial Launch: </b>Commercial Crew launch to inspect the Gateway before it is deployed to NRHO<b> </b>later in the year<b><br /></b><br /><br /><b>SLS Block I + ICPS upper stage:</b> Two fully fueled ICPS or Centaur V upper stages, or a combination of both&nbsp; are deployed to LEO for a docking rendezvous with the Gateway at LEO. The two boosters transport the Gateway to NRHO <i>(More Gateway component mass can be transported to NRHO if water for&nbsp; radiation shielding is transported to the Gateway later by commercial launchers)</i><br /><br /><b>Commercial Launch:</b> Two FlexCraft vehicles launched to NRHO Gateway<br /><br /><b>Commercial Launch:</b> Beginning of commercial launches of water and other supplies to NRHO Gateway&nbsp; <br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>2023</b></span><br /><br /><b><i>(Last use of RS-25 engines from the Space Shuttle legacy)&nbsp;</i></b><br /><br /><b>SLS Block I:</b> Crewed launch of Orion/SM/ICPS or Orion/SM/Centaur V to NRHO Gateway<br /><br /><b>Commercial Launch:</b> Vulcan/Centaur launch of ACES propellant depot to LEO<br /><br /><b>Commercial Launch:</b> First commercial launches of&nbsp; liquid oxygen tankers to LEO <br /><br /><b>Commercial Launch:</b> First commercial launches of liquid hydrogen tankers to LEO<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>2024</b></span><br /><br /><i><b>(New RS-25 engines now being produced and utilized) </b></i><br /><br /><b>SLS Block I:</b> Two R-LL reusable spacecraft launched to LEO utilizing commercial propellant depots at LEO to redeploy to NRHO. Both vehicles are initially used to deploy robotic vehicles to the lunar surface for sample returns. One R-LL goes to the north lunar pole. The second R-LL goes to the south lunar pole.<br /><br /><b>SLS Block I:</b> Crewed launch of Orion/SM/ICPS or Orion/SM/Centaur V or Orion/SM/EUS to NRHO Gateway<br /><br />Three members of the Orion crew boards one of the R-LL spacecraft for the first human mission to the south lunar pole. Three other crew members remain at the NRHO Gateway to serve as an emergency rescue team in case the first vehicle experiences a serious malfunction while on the lunar surface. <br /><br /><b>Commercial Launch:</b> Vulcan/Centaur Launch of ACES depot to LEO to self deploy to NRHO<br /><br /><b>Commercial Launch:</b> Beginning of commercial deployment of liquid oxygen tankers to NRHO <br /><br /><b>Commercial Launch:</b> Beginning of commercial deployment of liquid hydrogen tankers&nbsp; to NRHO<br /><br /><b>Commercial Launch:</b> Vulcan/Centaur launch of reusable Orion/ACES to LEO&nbsp; for crew transport between LEO and NRHO using propellant depots<br /><br /><br /><br /><u><b>Launch Vehicles that could be used to help return humans to the surface of the Moon</b></u><br /><br /><b>SLS Block IB: </b>110 tonnes to LEO (operational 2024)<br /><b>&nbsp;</b><br /><b>SLS Block I + ICPS upper stage:</b> 95 tonnes to LEO (operational in 2020)<br /><br /><b>SLS Block I : </b>70 tonnes to LEO&nbsp; (operational in 2020)<br /><br /><b>Falcon Heavy:</b> 63.8 tonnes to LEO (currently operational)<br /><br /><b>Vulcan Centaur Heavy:</b> 34.9 tonnes to LEO (operational 2023)<br /><br /><b>Delta IV Heavy:</b> 28.4 tonnes to LEO (currently operational)&nbsp; <br /><br /><b>Vulcan Centaur:</b> 27.5 tonnes to LEO (operational 2021)<br /><br /><br /><u><b>Upper Stages that could be deployed to LEO by an SLS Block I Launch</b></u> <br /><br /><b>ICPS: </b>Total mass<b>:</b> 30.7 tonnes; empty mass: 3.49; propellant mass: 27.2 tonnes (currently operational)<br /><br /><b>Centaur V: </b>Total mass: ~ 46 tonnes; empty mass: ~5 tonnes; propellant mass: 41 tonnes (operational 2021)<br /><br /><b>ACES:&nbsp; </b>Total mass: ~ 73.5 tonnes; empty mass: ~ 5.5 tonnes; propellant mass: 68 tonnes (operational 2023)<br /><br /><b>EUS:</b> Total mass: 140 tonnes; empty mass: 15 tonnes;&nbsp; propellant mass: 125 tonnes (operational 2024)<br /><br /><br />With NASA's new super heavy lift capability, America will be able to deploy large and heavy structures (up to 110 tonnes in mass) to LEO with a single launch.&nbsp; This should enable NASA and private space companies to deploy huge reusable spacecraft with crewed interplanetary capability to LEO.&nbsp; Single launches of the&nbsp; SLS will also be able to deploy enormous microgravity and artificial gravity space habitats to LEO with pressurized volumes greatly exceeding that of the International Space Station. <br /><br />With its propellant depot architecture, reusable ACES spacecraft working alone or in pairs could transport at least 40 to 80 tonnes of payload from LEO to practically anywhere within&nbsp; cis-lunar space. An reusable EUS that could utilize propellant depots would have substantially more capability. <br /><br />Cargo landing vehicles directly&nbsp; derived from the notional R-LL vehicle should be able to land more than 40 tonnes of payload on the surface of the Moon.<br /><br />Finally, by using commercial spacecraft to reach LEO,&nbsp; a propellant depot architecture could&nbsp; allow astronauts and tourist to easily travel between NRHO and LEO. This would make it unnecessary to launch astronauts to NRHO aboard a super heavy lift vehicle that is only infrequently used to launch passengers.&nbsp; At the Gateway, single stage reusable vehicles could be used to travel between the lunar surface and NRHO.&nbsp;&nbsp; And suddenly private commercial space tourism could expand beyond LEO-- all the way to the practically any place on the surface of the Moon.&nbsp; And a new economic age of space travel will have begun! <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><b>Links and References</b><br /><br /><h1 class="post-title"><a href="https://spacenews.com/bridenstine-says-nothing-off-the-table-as-nasa-develops-new-lunar-plan/"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Bridenstine says “nothing off the table” as NASA develops new lunar plan</span></span></span></a><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">&nbsp;</span></span></h1><h1 class="post-title"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/Read%20more%20at%20https://www.airspacemag.com/daily-planet/how-much-water-moon-180967751/#rsfoOLf2eH72MyQC.99"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">How Much Water Is on the Moon?</span></span></a></h1><div class="pw-hidden-cp"><div class="main-wrapper" id="Page-Content" role="main"><header class="article-header"><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://newpapyrusmagazine.blogspot.com/2018/06/cis-lunar-gateways-and-advantages-of.html">Cis-Lunar Gateways and the Advantages of Near Rectilinear Orbits</a> </span></span></h3><a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/08/work-begins-on-rocket-engines-for-sls-flights-a-decade-from-now/"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Work begins on rocket engines for SLS flights a decade from now</span></span></span></a></header></div></div><div class="page" title="Page 1"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><a href="https://www.ulalaunch.com/docs/default-source/extended-duration/propellant-depots-2009.pdf"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times&quot;;">Realistic Near-Term Propellant Depots: Implementation of aCritical Spacefaring Capability&nbsp;</span></span></a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/ppe_nac_heo.pdf"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; left: 66.2543px; top: 310.823px; transform: scaleX(1.06187);">Status of Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) </span><span style="font-family: sans-serif; left: 66.2543px; top: 358.613px; transform: scaleX(1.06171);">for Gateway</span></a><br /><br /><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><a href="http://newpapyrusmagazine.blogspot.com/2018/12/utilizing-centaur-v-and-aces-68-for.html"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Utilizing the Centaur V and ACES 68 for Deep Space SLS Missions </span></span></a></h3><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;times&quot;; font-size: small; font-weight: 700;"><a href="http://sciences.ucf.edu/class/wp-content/uploads/sites/58/2017/02/Kutter-ACES-Space-2015.pdf"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times&quot;;">ACES Stage Concept: Higher Performance, NewCapabilities, at a Lower Recurring Cost</span></span></a></span><br /><h1 class="post-title"><a href="https://spacenews.com/ulas-vulcan-rocket-to-be-rolled-out-in-stages/"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">ULA’s Vulcan Rocket To be Rolled out in Stages</span></span></a></h1><a href="https://twitter.com/torybruno/status/625994038697676800">ULA's Tory Bruno (Twitter) </a><br /><br /><div class="page" title="Page 1"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><a href="https://www.ulalaunch.com/docs/default-source/exploration/affordable-exploration-architecture-2009.pdf"><span style="font-family: &quot;timesnewromanps&quot;; font-size: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">A Commercially Based Lunar Architecture</span></span></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;timesnewromanps&quot;; font-size: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br /><div class="page" title="Page 1"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><a href="https://www.ulalaunch.com/docs/default-source/exploration/evolving-to-a-depot-based-space-transportation-architecture.pdf">Evolving to a Depot-Based Space Transportation Architecture</a></div></div></div></div></div></div><a href="http://www.sei.aero/eng/papers/uploads/archive/SpaceWorks%20CPS%20Study%20Final%20Distribution.pdf">A Study of CPS Stages for Missions beyond LEO</a><br /><br /><div class="page" title="Page 1"><div class="section"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><a href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20180007052.pdf"><span style="font-family: &quot;timesnewromanpsmt&quot;; font-size: 12.000000pt;">LARGE SCALE CRYOGENIC STORAGEWITH ACTIVE REFRIGERATION</span></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;timesnewromanpsmt&quot;; font-size: 12.000000pt;"> </span><br /><div class="page" title="Page 1"><div class="section"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><a href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20180006597.pdf"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;timesnewromanps&quot;;">Transient Modeling of Large Scale Integrated Refrigerationand Storage Systems</span></span></a></div></div></div></div><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br />Marcel F. Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16245086958213100840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8809438035746342262.post-84090679075818860942019-04-09T19:44:00.000-07:002019-04-09T19:44:25.662-07:00NASA Adminstrator's Speech on Returning to the Moon at the Space Symposium <iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3JSjTbsOsaU" width="410"></iframe><br />Marcel F. Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16245086958213100840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8809438035746342262.post-34224148874253849972019-04-02T12:35:00.000-07:002019-04-02T12:36:17.324-07:00Inflatable Biospheres and Bio-Tori for Large Outpost and Colonies on the Lunar Surface<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Wq9aqf-z1nM/XJBk8W14_tI/AAAAAAAAEsU/8DHKCnIV8lYUcYmTkyuevNFQcODT2CGJQCLcBGAs/s1600/Lunar%2BOutpost%2BACZ.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="322" data-original-width="604" height="212" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Wq9aqf-z1nM/XJBk8W14_tI/AAAAAAAAEsU/8DHKCnIV8lYUcYmTkyuevNFQcODT2CGJQCLcBGAs/s400/Lunar%2BOutpost%2BACZ.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><b>Notional regolith bag covered Kevlar biosphere and&nbsp; bio-torus next to two solar powered cylindrical SLS propellant tank technology derived lunar regolith habitats on top of a microwave sintered lunar outpost floor.</b></td></tr></tbody></table>by Marcel F. Williams&nbsp; <br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">N</span>ASA's Space Launch System (SLS) scheduled to go into operation by 2020 or 2021.</b> But large cargo landing vehicles are going to be required&nbsp; in order to utilize the SLS for the deployment of&nbsp; lunar outposts habitats.&nbsp; Large multilevel pressurized habitats derived from SLS propellant tank technology&nbsp; could be deployed to the lunar surface on top of cargo landing vehicles designed to fit within a 10 meter in diameter SLS payload fairing. Such multilevel habitats for the lunar surface could be 8.4 meters in diameter, with two to four levels available for habitation. The average apartment in the US provides approximately 82 meters of floor area.&nbsp; With each 8.4 meter in diameter level providing more than 55 square meters of floor area, a single multilevel SLS deployed lunar habitat could provide lunar astronauts with 105 to 210 square meters of habitation floor area.&nbsp; <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1ptHEwlNmdc/XKDjLjrOboI/AAAAAAAAEtc/1Kjc2HJo4dEaabizK6d72flrvEb_n_1wgCLcBGAs/s1600/Lunar%2Bregolith%2Bhab%2BX-Ray%2Bb.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="308" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1ptHEwlNmdc/XKDjLjrOboI/AAAAAAAAEtc/1Kjc2HJo4dEaabizK6d72flrvEb_n_1wgCLcBGAs/s1600/Lunar%2Bregolith%2Bhab%2BX-Ray%2Bb.png" /></a></td></tr><tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><b>X-Ray of notional SLS propellant tank derived Lunar Regolith Habitat</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br />However, substantially larger lunar habitats would require the deployment of inflatable structures.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Various&nbsp; types of inflatable&nbsp; habitats have been proposed by NASA personal since the dawn of the space agency. In the 1980's, M. Roberts of&nbsp; NASA's Johnson Space Center,&nbsp; proposed deploying inflatable &nbsp; Kevlar biospheres to the lunar surface.&nbsp; Since the lower hemisphere&nbsp; of such biospheres would be underground, the radius of the inflated habitats would be limited by the depth of the regolith. Depending on the region on the lunar surface, <b>lunar regolith can be as deep as eight meters or as shallow as two meters</b> before encountering bedrock.&nbsp; Such depth constraints on the lunar surface would limit the diameter of a biosphere to just&nbsp; <b>4 to 16 meters</b>. A 16 meter biodome pressurized with an Earth-like&nbsp; nitrogen and oxygen atmosphere of <b>14.7 psi (101.3 kPa) with a safety factor of four</b> would weigh only 1.76 tonnes. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w0TmNihBIJQ/XKKycBm8KwI/AAAAAAAAEtw/sYWewUwkTeM6cTGuNs6lE25GsOT9KKMIACLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-04-01%2Bat%2B5.51.41%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="701" height="243" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w0TmNihBIJQ/XKKycBm8KwI/AAAAAAAAEtw/sYWewUwkTeM6cTGuNs6lE25GsOT9KKMIACLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-04-01%2Bat%2B5.51.41%2BPM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><b>X-Ray of notional regolith bag shielded biosphere on the lunar surface (Credit: NASA)</b></td></tr></tbody></table>However, the constraints of regolith depth could be easily alleviated by inflating a biosphere-- on top of the lunar surface-- and surrounding it with an inflatable bio-torus. An inflated Kevlar torus would be an inherently self supporting structure. So regolith could be deposited within the cavity between the bio-torus and the biosphere, providing structural support for the inner biosphere. Since the surround bio-torus would require substantially more Kevlar material than the biosphere, reducing the diameter of the torus to approximately half that of the biosphere could substantially reduce the amount of mass needed to be deployed to the lunar surface.&nbsp; A spacious cavity between the bottom of the biosphere and the surrounding bio-torus could accommodate&nbsp; additional living space in the form a smaller bio-torus about one third the diameter of the external bio-torus.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LOBGTiRvdpw/XIgCSw4SWwI/AAAAAAAAErU/9cvTeB369awCDL51pXheY7-nMvsQw-BcQCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-03-12%2Bat%2B11.55.47%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="628" height="254" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LOBGTiRvdpw/XIgCSw4SWwI/AAAAAAAAErU/9cvTeB369awCDL51pXheY7-nMvsQw-BcQCLcBGAs/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-03-12%2Bat%2B11.55.47%2BAM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Inflatable torus extraterrestrial habitat (Credit: NASA, 1961) </b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Lunar Statistics</u></b></span><br /><br /><b>Diameter relative to the Earth: 27.3%</b><br /><b><br /></b><b>Surface area relative to the Earth: 7.4%<span style="font-size: x-small;"> (Land area not covered by water only comprises ~ 29% of the Earth's surface) </span></b><br /><b><br /></b><b>Surface gravity: 0.17g</b><br /><br /><b>Regolith depth: 2 to 8 meters&nbsp; </b><br /><b><br /></b><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white;">Annual amount&nbsp; of cosmic radiation on the Lunar surface during the solar minimum - 38 Rem</span><br /></span></b><br /><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white;">Annual amount of cosmic radiation on the Lunar surface during the solar maximum - 11 Rem</span></span></b><br /><br /><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white;">(Maximum amount of&nbsp; radiation allowed for radiation workers on Earth per year - 5 Rem)</span></span></b></span></i><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>(Maximum amount of radiation allowed for adult female during nine months of pregnancy -)</b></span></i> </span></span><br /><br />The biodome and the upper and outer exterior of the bio-torus could be covered with regolith bags that are either 2.5 meters or 5 meters in thick, depending on what level of radiation protection is desired for the habitat. At least, 10 centimeters of lunar regolith is required to protect humans from the cell killing heavy nuclei component of cosmic radiation. Thermal fluctuations of the lunar surface may also require as little as 10 centimeters of lunar regolith. Assuming an average regolith density of about 1.5 grams per cubic centimeter, at least 60 centimeters of lunar regolith would be required to protect the habitat from micrometeorites.<br /><br />Its relatively easy to shield habitats and even humans in pressure suits&nbsp; from the heavy ion component of cosmic radiation.&nbsp; But most cosmic ray particles are composed of the smallest ionized atoms: protons (85%) and alpha particles (ionized helium atoms) which are much more difficult to shield against. Most protons and alpha particles streak harmlessly though the vacuous space between the atoms of the human body. But the relentless rain of these cosmic ray components&nbsp; inevitably results in impacts upon our body tissues. <br /><br />On average, humans receive about 620 mrem per year of radiation due to a combination of sources from both cosmic and terrestrial radiation sources. The maximum recommended radiation exposure for&nbsp; a pregnant woman is 50 mrem per month which comes very close to the average radiation exposure that humans on Earth experience in a year.<br /><br />The maximum level of radiation exposure for radiation workers on Earth is 5 Rem per year. And that would require approximately 2.5 meters of regolith shielding. But the maximum level of radiation exposure allowed for a woman during the term of her pregnancy is just 0.5 Rem. So lunar regolith shielding would probably have to be increased to&nbsp; 5 meters (the same level of radiation shielding provided for humans by the depth of the&nbsp; Earth's atmosphere). Inflated with an Earth-like atmospheric pressure, biospheres and bio-tori could easily support the weight of 5 meters of regolith. <br /><br />Of course, there would be no shortage of available regolith on the surface of the Moon.&nbsp; Just one&nbsp; hectare of regolith on the lunar surface could provide between&nbsp; 20,000 to 80,000 cubic&nbsp; meters of shielding material (2 million to 8 million cubic meters per square kilometer) for&nbsp; large pressurized habitats.&nbsp; And the excavation and deposition of lunar regolith and even the production of regolith bags could be done by robots teleoperated by personal employed on the surface of the Earth.&nbsp; <br /><br />During solar minimum conditions, the maximum radiation exposure on the lunar surface can&nbsp; exceed 3000 mrem per month. A hardened pressure suit designed to protect against the heavy nuclei component of cosmic radiation could&nbsp; reduce general cosmic radiation exposure by two thirds. But even 1000 mrem (one Rem) per month would exceed annual radiation levels for radiation workers in less than six months. Pregnant lunar colonist would probably have to remain inside the protective confines of their habitat during nine months of pregnancy. But even if lunar colonist spent only 10% of their time&nbsp; outside of&nbsp; pressurized habitats (less than 2 Rem of annual exposure within radiation hardened pressure suits ), that would still avail them to more than 16 hours a week of EVA time on the lunar surface. But I seriously doubt if most lunar colonist will spend more than 5% of their time outside of the comfort of their lunar habits. <br /><br />So it seems likely that Lunar colonist will spend at least 90 to 95% of their time on the Moon within the confines of pressurized&nbsp; habitats. So living on the Moon will mostly be about living within the protective confines of pressurized habitats that are also designed to protect its inhabitants from the dangers of micrometeorites, extreme thermal fluctuations, and excessive radiation exposure.<br /><br />So if future Lunarians are going to have to spend the overwhelming majority of their time-- indoors, such pressurized habitats should be as comfortably-- spacious-- as possible. Once large SLS propellant tank technology derived habitats are on the lunar surface, much larger (inflatable) habitats could be deployed by the SLS.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>A single SLS Block I launch could deploy a 27.5 tonne biosphere, plus a 38 tonne external&nbsp; bio-torus and a 2.5 tonne inner bio-torus to LEO. So a total mass of 68 tonnes would be deployed by the SLS to Low Earth Orbit. A pair of reusable ACES-68 orbital transfer vehicles could transport the payload to NRHO. Reusable lunar cargo vehicles could transport the biosphere and the bio-tori separately to the lunar surface.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ePsUuKlA_gY/XJq-crSQsfI/AAAAAAAAEtQ/NVyzujJDqhEV5g4fxsQKwsysdF5XNTUVQCLcBGAs/s1600/biosphere%253Abio-tori%2BX-Ray.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="306" data-original-width="521" height="234" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ePsUuKlA_gY/XJq-crSQsfI/AAAAAAAAEtQ/NVyzujJDqhEV5g4fxsQKwsysdF5XNTUVQCLcBGAs/s400/biosphere%253Abio-tori%2BX-Ray.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><b>X-Ray of 40 meter in diameter lunar biosphere surround by two bio-tori</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br />A second SLS Block I launch could deploy five 3 meter in diameter and 3 meter high airlocks: one to be connected to the bottom of the biosphere and two each to be connected the bottoms of the two bio-tori on opposite sides. Six 3 meter in diameter expandable tunnels will also be deployed to linearly connect the airlocks to each other and to allow astronauts to enter and exit the base of the inflatable habitats. Six expandable regolith walls will be included to provide a firm regolith base for the biosphere and the bio-tori. Six 2.4 meter in diameter ECLSS modules will be included: two to be attached to the a biosphere airlock and individual modules to be attached to each of the bio-tori airlocks. Piping&nbsp; will be provided to connect the ECLSS modules to external radiators. And wiring will be provided to connect the ECLSS to external solar, nuclear, and chemical power units.&nbsp; Again, these payloads will initially be deployed to LEO before be transported to NRHO and then to the lunar surface by reusable LOX/LH2 vehicles.<br /><br />&nbsp;Once deployed to the lunar surface, the inflated Kevlar biosphere would be 40 meters in diameter. An 18 meter in diameter bio-torus would surround the biosphere. And an additional 6 meter in diameter bio-torus would be placed with the lower cavity between the biosphere and the external bio-torus.The pressurized biosphere and bio-tori would sit on top a regolith base. Airlocks beneath the biosphere and bio-torus would be connected to cylindrical metallic tunnels internally pressurized with cylindrical Kevlar bags would provide astronauts with easy access to the other sections of the habitat while also allowing them to exit the habitat or to connect to exterior habitats.&nbsp; <br /><br />The atmospheric pressure within the biosphere and within the bio-torus would be the same atmospheric pressure as on Earth. And this will allow people working in the bio-torus to move easily back and fourth between the bio-torus and the biosphere without the need of to deal with differences in pressure.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Sb0hNM7T3XQ/XJF-SXRBqHI/AAAAAAAAEs0/rWi1CnjWoWotwajnAsfJtAWdunAOE3dCQCLcBGAs/s1600/Biodome%2Brecreational%2Barea.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="290" data-original-width="293" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Sb0hNM7T3XQ/XJF-SXRBqHI/AAAAAAAAEs0/rWi1CnjWoWotwajnAsfJtAWdunAOE3dCQCLcBGAs/s1600/Biodome%2Brecreational%2Barea.png" /></a></td></tr><tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><b>Notional biodome recreational floor area of a 40 meter in diameter bio-torus</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br />With a <b>floor area of</b> <b>1257 square meters</b> within a spacious biodome 20 meters high, the upper hemisphere of the 40 meter biosphere could be used for a variety of recreational purposes (tennis, volleyball, basketball, gymnastics, swimming, etc). The biodome could also provide astronauts with&nbsp; a spacious area for relaxation if landscaped with grass and trees and other aesthetically pleasing foliage.&nbsp; <br /><br />The lower hemisphere would be composed of four expansive habitat floors, 2.4 to 3 meters high, providing apartments, laboratories, and gyms and more than 1200 square meters of habitable floor space.&nbsp; The floors, rooms, and apartments will be composed of prefabricated sections manufactured on Earth and assembled within on the Moon within the pressurized biosphere. Ceiling, floor, and wall panels and beams and other structural components could be transported to the lunar surface by reusable and expendable&nbsp; commercial lunar transports.&nbsp; So the lower half of the biosphere should be able to provide at least four expansive levels for&nbsp; habitation, with the lower hemisphere alone far exceeding that of the floor area for&nbsp; SLS propellant tank derived habitat modules. <br /><br />The surrounding 18 meter bio-torus would also consist of multiple levels that are composed of modular components. But, under this scenario, the &nbsp; bio-torus would be divided into five levels. The top level would be used for orchards (apple, orange, lemon, cherry, and peach trees) and also for raising large fauna: pigs, miniature cows, sheep, and possibly even ostriches. The second level would be used for poultry. The third and fourth level would be used for growing fruits and vegetables: bananas, pineapples, watermelons, tomatoes, carrots, lettuce, potatoes, corn, wheat, sugar beets, etc. The bottom level of the bio-torus would be used for aquaculture: brine shrimp, fish, oysters, etc.<br /><br />The inner 6 meter in diameter bio-torus would be largely used for storage and for emergency habitation in case something serious should occur inside of the biosphere.<br /><br />The entire facility would be designed to comfortably accommodate between 50 to 100 individuals.<b> </b><br /><br /><b>&nbsp;<u><span style="font-size: large;">Diameter and mass of Kevlar biospheres and bio-tori pressurized at </span></u></b><b><u><span style="font-size: large;"><b>14.7 psi (101.3 kPa)</b> with a safety factor of&nbsp; four without regolith shielding and structural support</span></u></b><br /><br /><b>40 meter in diameter</b>&nbsp; biosphere: <b>27.5 tonnes</b><br />Surrounding <b>18 meter in diameter</b> bio-torus: <b>38 tonne</b>s<br />Surrounding <b>6 meter in diameter</b> interior bio-torus: <b>2.5 tonnes</b> <br /><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></b><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Mass of an M1-Abrams Tank - 62 tonnes</i></span></b> <br /><br /><b>100 meters in diameter</b> biosphere: - <b>430 tonnes</b><br />Surrounding <b>50 meter in diameter</b> bio-torus: <b>759 tonnes</b><br />Surrounding <b>16 meter in diameter</b> interior bio-torus: <b>44 tonnes</b> &nbsp; <br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Mass of a Boeing 747 - 440 tonnes </b></i></span><br /><br /><b>200 meters in diameter</b> biosphere:&nbsp; <b>3438 tonne</b>s<br />Surrounding <b>100 meter in diameter</b> bio-torus: <b>6071 tonnes</b> <br />Surrounding <b>32 meter in diameter</b> interior bio-torus: <b>348 tonne</b>s<br /><br /><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>&nbsp;Mass of the Eiffel Tower - 7300 tonnes</b></span></i><br /><br /><b>300 meters in diameter</b> biosphere:&nbsp; <b>11,600 tonnes</b><br />Surrounding <b>150 meter in diamete</b>r bio-torus: <b>20,512 tonne</b>s <br />Surrounding <b>50 meter in diameter</b> interior bio-torus: <b>1264 tonnes</b><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span class="st"><i>Mass of an Ohio-Class atomic submarine - 16,764 tonnes</i></span></b></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span><br /><b>400 meter in diameter</b> biosphere: <b>27, 500 tonnes </b><br />Surrounding <b>200 meter in diameter</b> bio-torus: <b>48, 574 tonnes</b> <br />Surrounding <b>60 meter in diameter</b> interior bio-torus: <b>2478 tonnes</b> <br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Mass of a cruise ship - 100,000 tonnes</b></i></span><br /><br /><b>1000 meters in diameter</b> biosphere: <b>430,000 tonnes</b><br />Surrounding <b>500 meter in diamete</b>r bio-torus: <b>759, 000 tonnes</b> <br />Surrounding <b>160 meter in diameter</b> interior bio-torus: <b>44, 000 tonnes </b><br /><br /><i><b>&nbsp;</b></i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><i>Mass of the Golden Gate Bridge - <span class="ILfuVd NA6bn c3biWd">804, 673&nbsp; tonnes</span></i></b></span><br /><br />Much larger inflatable facilities will probably require the Kevlar material to be exported from Earth in small sections to be woven together by machines deployed to the lunar surface. And, eventually,&nbsp; Kevlar threads will be manufactured on the lunar surface from lunar materials mostly found at the lunar poles.<br /><br />Biospheres that are 400 meters in diameter could be very attractive for human colonization of the Moon. The 200 meter high bio-domes of such facilities would be able to provide artificial lakes and lagoons at least 200 meters in diameter with surrounding sandy beaches where you could not only swim but also put on a pair of&nbsp; wings and fly under the low lunar gravity.&nbsp; The top half of the surrounding 200 meter in diameter bio-torus could also be used for housing familiar to that on Earth plus recreational parks and 100 meter lakes and lagoons. And with a 100 meter high rooftop, there should also be enough room in the bio-torus to strap on a pair of wings and fly at least 50 meters above the ground within the upper half of the bio-torus. <br /><br /><br /><br /><b>Links and References</b><br /><br /><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><a href="http://newpapyrusmagazine.blogspot.com/2016/10/inflatable-biospheres-for-new-frontier.html"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Inflatable Biospheres for the New Frontier </span></span></a></h3><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><a href="http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.503.9275&amp;rep=rep1&amp;type=pdf"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; left: 248.962px; top: 121.317px; transform: scalex(1.09457);">Structural Design of a Lunar Habitat</span></span></a><br /><br /><h1 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inflatable_space_habitat"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Inflatable space habitat</span></span></a></h1><br /><a href="http://www.nss.org/settlement/moon/library/LB2-303-InflatableHabitation.pdf">Inflatable Habitation for the Lunar Base</a><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://newpapyrusmagazine.blogspot.com/2014/09/living-and-reproducing-on-low-gravity.html">Living and Reproducing on Low Gravity Worlds</a><br /><br /><h1><a href="https://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/radiation/health-effects/info.html"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">Information for Radiation Workers</span></span></a> </h1><h1><a href="https://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/radiation/around-us/doses-daily-lives.html"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Doses in Our Daily Lives</span></span></a>&nbsp; </h1><h3 class="center-block"><a href="https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/radiationionizing/pregnantworkers.html"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Ionizing Radiation</span></span></a></h3><a href="https://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2011/pdf/2607.pdf"><br /></a><a href="https://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2011/pdf/2607.pdf"><span style="font-size: small;">&nbsp;<span style="font-family: sans-serif; left: 120px; top: 119.98px; transform: scalex(1.04982);">GLOBAL LUNAR REGOLITH DEPTHS REVEALED</span></span></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/history/eclss.html">&nbsp;ECLSS</a><br /><br /><br />Marcel F. Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16245086958213100840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8809438035746342262.post-77481538879483893282019-03-12T18:08:00.001-07:002019-03-12T18:08:52.272-07:00What if You Were the Last Human on Earth?<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fdCDQIyXGnw" width="410"></iframe><br />Marcel F. Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16245086958213100840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8809438035746342262.post-81864846371549251002019-02-19T17:45:00.000-08:002019-02-19T17:45:06.444-08:00Utilizing Renewable Methanol to Power Electric Commuter Aircraft<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r5JhJIiOLSw/XGtQRld7EPI/AAAAAAAAEp4/_0DYPVLRNe0JNuP5Oq4j5qGSIguP1knwACLcBGAs/s1600/1920px-F-WWEZ_%2528948%2529_ATR.72-212A%2528500%2529_FlyFireFly_TLS_30AUG11_%25286097869500%2529_%2528cropped%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r5JhJIiOLSw/XGtQRld7EPI/AAAAAAAAEp4/_0DYPVLRNe0JNuP5Oq4j5qGSIguP1knwACLcBGAs/s400/1920px-F-WWEZ_%2528948%2529_ATR.72-212A%2528500%2529_FlyFireFly_TLS_30AUG11_%25286097869500%2529_%2528cropped%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr align="center"><td class="tr-caption"><b>A Firefly ATR 72 (Credit: Wikipedia/<span class="mw-mmv-source-author"><span class="mw-mmv-author mw-mmv-source">Ken Fielding)</span></span></b></td></tr></tbody></table>by Marcel F. Williams<br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">R</span>enewable methanol (methyl alcohol) is a hydrocarbon fuel that can be derived from the synthesis of carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen. </b>Methyl alcohol can also be synthesized from syngas derived from the pyrolysis of hydrocarbon waste.<b> </b>The production of&nbsp; renewable methanol from both methods can be powered&nbsp; by carbon neutral electricity from both nuclear and&nbsp; renewable energy resources. <br /><br />CO2 can be extracted directly from the atmosphere or from the flu gases of a power plant using a renewable hydrocarbon fuel. Hydrogen can be produced from the electrolysis of freshwater, seawater, brine, or from desalinated water derived from seawater or brine.<br /><br />Methanol&nbsp; can be synthesized from the syngas resulting from the pyrolysis of urban and rural biowaste and hydrocarbon waste of non-biological origin such as polymers.<br /><br />Twenty million tonnes of methanol is produced annually, predominantly from fossil fuels, mostly as an industrial chemical precursor.&nbsp; But methanol has been used as a fuel or as a fuel additive for buses, automobiles, and even marine vessels. <b>And methyl alcohol could also be used to power commuter passenger aircraft.</b><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qTFc6yi2dMk/XGXUKz2RTRI/AAAAAAAAEpQ/Ra0okeY2q1ANIuLsWjHSq45wv2pUZ6iBACLcBGAs/s1600/fuel%2Bfor%2Bfuel%2Bcell%2Bdensity.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="541" data-original-width="557" height="387" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qTFc6yi2dMk/XGXUKz2RTRI/AAAAAAAAEpQ/Ra0okeY2q1ANIuLsWjHSq45wv2pUZ6iBACLcBGAs/s400/fuel%2Bfor%2Bfuel%2Bcell%2Bdensity.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />In 2018, a Department of Energy report from Grigorii Soloveichik suggested that commercial-- propeller air transports-- modified to use fuel cells, batteries, and sustainable fuels could reduce propeller airplane energy usage by 40 to 60%, emissions by 90%, and aircraft noise by 65%.<br /><br />An ATR 72 propeller commuter aircraft, for example, has a cruise speed of 317 mph (510 km/h) and a range of 949 mi (1528 km) using kerosene derived fuels such as Jet A, A-1/JP8, JetB/JP4, and JP5/JP1.<br /><br />The Department of Energy report determined that utilizing fuel cells and batteries to power the propellers of an ATR 72 could substantially increase the range of a modified aircraft if it used methanol, biodiesel,&nbsp; ethanol, dimethyl ether, or&nbsp; ammonia. Utilizing renewable methanol could give a modified ATR 72 a range of 1800 miles (2900 kilometers).&nbsp;<span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QWWKbDat3Jc/XGXUSr_CdUI/AAAAAAAAEpU/OT32r0m9Cjohr9DABcV0M9HUMwmJuF3nQCLcBGAs/s1600/ATR72%2Bfuel%2Bcell%2Bplane.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="482" data-original-width="663" height="290" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QWWKbDat3Jc/XGXUSr_CdUI/AAAAAAAAEpU/OT32r0m9Cjohr9DABcV0M9HUMwmJuF3nQCLcBGAs/s400/ATR72%2Bfuel%2Bcell%2Bplane.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; left: 145.043px; top: 746.664px; transform: scalex(1.00225);">Fuel cell efficiency 55%, battery round trip efficiency 90%, energy consumption 4.6 kWh/mile for regional aircraft (Credit: </span></span></b><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; left: 145.043px; top: 746.664px; transform: scalex(1.00225);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="left: 133.417px; top: 506.418px; transform: scaleX(0.999476);">Grigorii </span></span></span><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 39.275px; left: 271.079px; top: 506.418px; transform: scalex(0.998358);"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Soloveichik, DOE</span>)</span></span></span></span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Because of mounting expenses and regional and political&nbsp; infighting, the governor of California's, Gavin Newsom, had no choice but to&nbsp; curtail the first component of California's high speed rail line to the San Joaquin Valley area, spanning between the small California cities of Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings/Tulare, and Bakersfield. <br /><br />With 12 to 25% of people in the US having some level of anxiety when it comes to flying, high speed rail could accommodate the regional transportation needs of up to 82 million Americans. And if the electric grid supplying the power is utilizing nuclear or renewable resources, high speed rail could accommodate regional transportation needs without adding excess greenhouse gasses to the atmosphere.<br /><br />However, the utilization of carbon neutral renewable methanol in electric commuter aircraft could accommodate the regional transportation needs for the other 246 million residents of the United States. In California, commuter aircraft using renewable methanol could operate out of smaller airports throughout California, transporting commuters, for instance from Oakland Airport to Hollywood Burbank (Bob Hope) Airport in less than 90 minutes and to Lake Tahoe Airport in less than a half hour. <br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Notional Methanol Fuel Cell/Battery ATR 72&nbsp; Regional Destinations from Oakland, CA Airport (510 km/hr cruise speed</b>)</span><br /><br /><b>Less than 30 minutes:&nbsp;</b><br /><br />Lake Tahoe, CA - 237 km<br /><br />Fresno Yosemite Airport - 244 km<br /><br /><br /><b>Less than one hour:</b>&nbsp; <br /><br />Reno, Nevada - 287 km<br /><br />Mammoth Yosemite Airport - 297 km <br /><br />Eureka, CA - 369 km<br /><br />Bakersfield, CA - 397 km&nbsp; <br /><br />Santa Barbara, CA - 442 km<br /><br /><br /><b>Less than 90 minutes: </b><br /><br /><br />Burbank, CA - 522 km <br /><br />Long Beach, CA - 567 km<br /><br />Las Vegas, Nevada - 652 km<br /><br />San Diego, CA - 716 km<br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E-VrvmCi4VI/XGtTYYOpQsI/AAAAAAAAEqE/MR5TPc8TVMQJB1ZjKcc2luyMFoSzoWuIQCLcBGAs/s1600/Lockheed%2BMartin%2BAirship.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E-VrvmCi4VI/XGtTYYOpQsI/AAAAAAAAEqE/MR5TPc8TVMQJB1ZjKcc2luyMFoSzoWuIQCLcBGAs/s400/Lockheed%2BMartin%2BAirship.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Lockheed Martin airship (Credit: Lockheed Martin)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br />A new generation of airships using fuel cells, electric batteries, and renewable methanol&nbsp; could also play a role in regional transportation. Lockheed Martin is developing a diesel powered airship with a cruise speed of 69 miles per hour (111 km/h) and a range of 1616 miles (2,600 kilometers). Modifying the Lockheed Martin airship to use fuel cells, batteries, and renewable methanol could make such vessels carbon neutral while greatly expanding their range.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Notional Methanol Airship Destinations from Downtown San Francisco (111 km/hr cruise speed</b>)</span><br /><br /><b>Less than 30 minutes</b><br /><br /><br />SFO (San Francisco International Airport) - 20 km<br /><br />Oakland International Airport - 20 km<br /><br />Vallejo, CA - 36 km<br /><br /><br /><b>Less than 60 minutes:</b><br /><br />San Jose, CA - 68 km <br /><br />Santa Rosa, CA - 78 km<br /><br />Santa Cruz, CA - 96 km<br /><br />Stockton, CA - 101 km<br /><br /><br /><b>Less than 90 minutes:</b><br /><br />Sacramento, CA - 120 km<br /><br />Modesto, CA - 126 km <br /><br />Monterey, CA - 137 km<br /><br /><br />While renewable jet fuels are destined to replace jet fuel from petroleum, and renewable hydrogen will be essential for the coming generation of supersonic and hypersonic jet planes that will dramatically cut intercontinental flight times, renewable methanol could play a dominating role in the new age of airships and commuter airplanes. <br /><br /><b>Links and References</b><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://arpa-e.energy.gov/sites/default/files/Grigorii-Soloveichik-Fast-Pitch-2018.pdf"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; left: 84.4805px; top: 243.511px; transform: scalex(1.09862);">Electrified future of aviation:</span><span style="font-family: sans-serif; left: 84.4805px; top: 329.881px; transform: scalex(1.09081);">batteries or fuel cells?</span></span></a> <br /><h1 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATR_72"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">ATR 72</span></span></a></h1><a href="http://www.drmartinseif.com/fear-of-flying">&nbsp;Fear of Flying </a><br /><h1><a href="https://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.asp?aircraft_id=1545"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="textWhite">Lockheed Martin LMH-1 (P-791)</span></span></span></a></h1><a href="http://newpapyrusmagazine.blogspot.com/2012/03/methanol-economy.html">The Methanol Economy</a><br /><br />&nbsp;<a href="http://newpapyrusmagazine.blogspot.com/2018/09/methanol-as-marine-fuel.html">Methanol as a Marine Fuel</a><br /><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><a href="http://newpapyrusmagazine.blogspot.com/2018/11/mitigating-forest-fires-by-harvesting.html"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Mitigating Forest Fires by Harvesting Potentially Hazardous Woodland Biomass for the Production of Renewable Methanol</span></a></h3><h1 class="ArticleHeader__hed___GPB7e"><a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/is-gavin-newsom-right-to-slow-down-californias-high-speed-train"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">Is Gavin Newsom Right to Slow Down California’s High-Speed Train?</span></span></a></h1><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><span style="font-weight: normal;">&nbsp;</span></h3><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Marcel F. Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16245086958213100840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8809438035746342262.post-67186766515379801322019-02-13T10:19:00.000-08:002019-02-17T19:26:27.866-08:00Deploying Ocean Nuclear Energy Flotillas into International Waters for the Carbon Neutral Production of Synthetic Fuels, Industrial Chemicals, and Fertilizers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m3eAb-65L6U/XCOxMvsBiGI/AAAAAAAAEnc/5a7kSNmyxJIF6VhrnlQZvRZaDEvcF60tgCLcBGAs/s1600/1026178833.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="541" data-original-width="1000" height="216" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m3eAb-65L6U/XCOxMvsBiGI/AAAAAAAAEnc/5a7kSNmyxJIF6VhrnlQZvRZaDEvcF60tgCLcBGAs/s400/1026178833.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">A</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">rtist’s rendition of the Russian floating nuclear power plant “Akademik Lomonosov” (Credit: SevMashZevod</span>)</span></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br />by Marcel F. Williams<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Floating Nuclear Reactors</b></span><br /><br />Floating nuclear reactors in the form of nuclear submarines,&nbsp; aircraft carriers, and nuclear icebreakers have been in existence since 1953. And more than 12,000 reactor years of marine operations has been accumulated since the 1950s.&nbsp; Also, two American and seven former Soviet Union nuclear submarines have sunk into the ocean-- with their nuclear material-- because of accidents or extensive damage.&nbsp; So nuclear reactors are no strangers to the Earth's marine environment since the 1950s. Currently,&nbsp; more than 180 small reactors power more than 140 sea vessels in the Earth's oceans. <br /><br />In 1968, the US military deployed the first floating nuclear power reactor, the Sturgis (MH-1A). Supplying 10 megawatts of electric power to the Panama Canal Zone, the Sturgis operated without incident for over eight years until it reached the end of its service.<br /><br />Now, Russia has deployed its first floating nuclear power reactor. Recognizing the advantages of floating nuclear power plants, Russia plans to replace nuclear reactors located on land with the new floating reactors.<br /><br />China also has plans to develop and deploy 20 floating nuclear power plants of its own, the first destined for the South China seas. &nbsp; <br /><br />Since water is what keeps nuclear material from melting down in light water nuclear reactors, floating nuclear reactors deployed to the oceans virtually infinite heat sink are viewed as inherently safe.&nbsp;&nbsp; Environmental organizations such as Greenpeace, however,&nbsp; suggest that a tsunami could push a coastal floating nuclear reactor on land where the reactors fuel could be damaged and allowed to melt down-- poisoning the local environment with radioactive material. Such a scenario, of course,&nbsp; couldn't possibly occur for floating&nbsp; nuclear reactors that are-- remotely sited-- in ocean territories hundreds or even thousands of kilometers away from coastlines.<br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span><b><span style="font-size: large;">International Waters</span> </b><br /><br />Stationary underwater nuclear reactors would be beneficial to Nations that possess extensive &nbsp; Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) in remote territorial waters, could take advantage of stationary underwater nuclear reactors.&nbsp; Such remote regions in the world's oceans&nbsp; could utilize nuclear electricity for the production of carbon neutral synthetic fuels, industrial chemicals, and fertilizers that could be shipped by tankers around the world.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DVNaPlTRFdI/XCQ6wl7oXFI/AAAAAAAAEno/1-3dXAIumVcMaHfIySWjb-6FVGl5SoIRgCLcBGAs/s1600/1920px-Territorial_waters_-_World.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DVNaPlTRFdI/XCQ6wl7oXFI/AAAAAAAAEno/1-3dXAIumVcMaHfIySWjb-6FVGl5SoIRgCLcBGAs/s400/1920px-Territorial_waters_-_World.svg.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dark blue areas represent EEZ territories; light blue represents international waters (Credit: Wikipedia)</td></tr></tbody></table><br />In international waters, nations that don't possess remote territorial waters could still produce carbon neutral synthetic fuels, industrial chemicals and fertilizers-- on the high seas.&nbsp; &nbsp; But this would require mobile fleets&nbsp; of floating nuclear reactors and synfuel producing barges.&nbsp; Since no nation can legally claim a particular area of-- international waters-- a nuclear synplex flotilla could only occupy an area&nbsp; within&nbsp; international waters-- on a temporary basis.<br /><br />Under this scenario, floating nuclear synplexes would produce hydrocarbon commodities in a particular area of international waters for three to six months before moving a few hundred kilometers away to another region of international waters.&nbsp; Such fuel producing flotillas would also have the advantage of being able to quickly redeploy to another region of the ocean in order to avoid &nbsp; hurricanes and typhoons. Tug boats would be used to deploy and to redeploy the barges within international waters.<br /><br />&nbsp;Nuclear flotillas could&nbsp; be accompanied by floating plasma pyrolysis plants and electrolysis plants for converting urban and rural hydrocarbon waste into methanol, gasoline, diesel fuel, dimethyl ether, and jet fuel.<br /><br />Housing for nuplex and synplex workers could be accommodated aboard cruise ships perhaps modified to use methanol or methanol fuel cells.&nbsp; &nbsp; <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E7SA2dkb9Hw/XCQ7-EFH5hI/AAAAAAAAEnw/i1IRq3jJ7wMDcrm9ITxQZzxZXDNR6aTigCLcBGAs/s1600/Cyclone%252Bareas%252Bin%252BOcean.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="376" data-original-width="750" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E7SA2dkb9Hw/XCQ7-EFH5hI/AAAAAAAAEnw/i1IRq3jJ7wMDcrm9ITxQZzxZXDNR6aTigCLcBGAs/s400/Cyclone%252Bareas%252Bin%252BOcean.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><b>The colored areas&nbsp; are regions where cyclones and hurricanes are most frequently created in the world's oceans (Credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Using the new generation of passively safe small nuclear reactors such as the NuScale type of units,&nbsp; a floating nuclear barge could consist of twelve 60 megawatt reactors producing 720 megawatts of total electricity. Eight floating nuclear barges could, therefore, produce about 5.7 gigawatts of electricity.<br /><br />Tug boats could transport garbage barges from a coastal town or city to a floating garbage processing barge equipped with cranes&nbsp; that would separate metals from biowaste and plastics. Afterwards the waste processing barge would use its&nbsp; cranes to deploy biowaste and plastics to the plasma arc pyrolyis plant where the garbage would be converted into syngas (mainly carbon monoxide and hydrogen). Additional hydrogen would be added to the process by adding hydrogen derived from the electrolysis of distilled water. A catalyst would be used to convert the syngas into methanol.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ioT_26To0po/XCRRXws8JqI/AAAAAAAAEoU/W6Dk89hb4CUx_RGp7l0xhOLsRbzwJBVYQCLcBGAs/s1600/Methanol%25252BComplex%25252BC.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="225" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ioT_26To0po/XCRRXws8JqI/AAAAAAAAEoU/W6Dk89hb4CUx_RGp7l0xhOLsRbzwJBVYQCLcBGAs/s1600/Methanol%25252BComplex%25252BC.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Production of methanol from hydrocarbon waste</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br />To enhance safety, the&nbsp; electric powered synfuel barges could be deployed about five kilometers (3 miles) away from the floating nuclear reactors. At $150 per meter, a five kilometer submarine cable connecting the barge to the floating nuclear power plant should cost less than $800,000. <br /><br />Methanol could be shipped by&nbsp; tankers to coastal towns and cities to be utilized in natural gas electric power plants cheaply modified to use methanol.&nbsp; Methanol electric power stations would&nbsp; actually produce electricity more efficiently than natural gas. It would also be much safer to ship&nbsp; methanol to coastal towns and cities than liquid natural gas.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1MSAsDWm8ns/XCQ8QKra3VI/AAAAAAAAEn4/FWyYWZyW5NUC6YmWupdpBgqG4Q83ajE1wCLcBGAs/s1600/Japanese%252BMethanol%252Btanker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="345" data-original-width="493" height="278" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1MSAsDWm8ns/XCQ8QKra3VI/AAAAAAAAEn4/FWyYWZyW5NUC6YmWupdpBgqG4Q83ajE1wCLcBGAs/s400/Japanese%252BMethanol%252Btanker.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><b>Japanese Methanol Tanker (Credit: SHIN KURUSHIMA DOCKYARD CO</b>)</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The imported methanol could also be converted into dimethyl ether (a diesel fuel substitute) or be used to make biodiesel. Methanol can also be converted into high octane gasoline that can replace or be easily blended with gasoline derived from petroleum.<br /><br />Even more methanol can be produced&nbsp; if the CO2 from the flu gases of&nbsp; methanol electric power plants is captured and transported by tanker back to the floating nuclear synplex.<br /><br />Ammonia and urea could also be produced by remote floating nuclear synplexes, allowing fertilizer to be supplied by tankers to the coastlines of islands and countries around the world.<br /><br />The abundant oxygen produced from the electrolysis of water by the accompanying synplexes could be utilized&nbsp; for the manufacturing and processing of steel from iron ore.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tyOxanQ7nTU/XF8mfWte1gI/AAAAAAAAEpE/FaFteh23h7kL_1Sz6PGBkSERovXolIRtwCLcBGAs/s1600/USCGC_Jarvis_WHEC-725.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tyOxanQ7nTU/XF8mfWte1gI/AAAAAAAAEpE/FaFteh23h7kL_1Sz6PGBkSERovXolIRtwCLcBGAs/s320/USCGC_Jarvis_WHEC-725.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coast Guard Cutter (Credit: Wikipedia)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Protection from Pirates and Terrorist&nbsp; </b></span><br /><br />Floating nuclear power plants and synplexes would still have to be accompanied by at least some naval defense presence in order to protect against being taken over or damaged by pirates or potential terrorist on the high seas. The added expense of naval security&nbsp; would probably favor large Ocean Nuclear&nbsp; flotillas capable of generating at least 3000 megawatts&nbsp; of electricity for the accompanying synplex flotillas. The largest land based nuclear power facilities have electric capacities of nearly 8000 megawatts. The largest land based nuclear power facility in the US (Palo Verde) is capable of generating 3300 megawatts of electricity.<br /><br />If Coast Guard protection of a nuclear flotilla in international waters cost $100 to $200 million a year, it could cost $10 to $20 billion a year to protect 570 gigawatts of electric power and associated synfuel, fertilizer,&nbsp; and industrial chemical production in international waters. &nbsp; However, if such flotillas were congregated in just a few remote US EEZ areas, the cost of Coast Guard protection could be substantially reduced. And it&nbsp; should be noted that the US military currently spends about--$81 billion a year-- protecting greenhouse gas polluting global oil supplies on the world's oceans. So protecting Ocean Nuclear synfuel production could be a lot cheaper than protecting oil supplies.&nbsp; <br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Utilization within and beyond the EEZ by the US and other Nations</b></span><br /><br />Coastal nations that lack remote EEZ areas such as&nbsp; Singapore, South Korea, Israel, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, Syria, Egypt, Eritrea, etc. could utilize floating nuclear synplexes in remote international waters&nbsp; to export their garbage and sewage for the production of synfuels, fertilizers, and industrial chemicals through floating nuclear synplexes without the political and environmental complications of having nearby nuclear facilities.<br /><br />The United States could also use floating nuclear synplexes within its remote EEZ areas without the need of frequent redeployment until they've developed underwater nuclear facilities for their remote EEZ areas.&nbsp; The US Navy would could especially benefit from the production of jet fuel from floating nuclear synplexes in the Wake Island EEZ.&nbsp; This could allow US nuclear aircraft carriers attempting to counter the growing power of China and Russia in the Pacific to be supplied with jet fuel at the Wake Island EEZ-- in a region near the areas of global tension.<br /><br />&nbsp; <br /><b>Links and References</b><br /><br /><a href="http://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/non-power-nuclear-applications/transport/nuclear-powered-ships.aspx">Nuclear Powered Ships</a><br /><h1 class="articleTitle"><a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/ie00053a002"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="hlFld-Title">Catalytic conversion of synthesis gas to methanol and other oxygenated products</span></span></span></a></h1><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MH-1A">&nbsp;MH-1A</a><br /><h1><a href="https://bellona.org/news/nuclear-issues/2018-12-both-reactors-on-rosatoms-floating-nuclear-plant-now-operational"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Both reactors on Rosatom’s floating nuclear plant now operational</span></span></a></h1><h1 class="title" itemprop="name"><a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/21/us-spends-81-billion-a-year-to-protect-oil-supplies-report-estimates.html"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">US spends $81 billion a year to protect global oil supplies, report estimates</span></span></a></h1><a href="https://www.nuscalepower.com/">NuScale Power</a><br /><br /><a href="http://newpapyrusmagazine.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-future-of-ocean-nuclear-synfuel.html">The Future of Ocean Nuclear Synfuel Production</a> <br /><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><a href="http://newpapyrusmagazine.blogspot.com/2016/12/siting-ocean-nuclear-power-plants-in.html"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">Siting Ocean Nuclear Power Plants in Remote US Territorial Waters for the Carbon Neutral Production of Synfuels and Industrial Chemicals</span></span></a></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><a href="http://newpapyrusmagazine.blogspot.com/2016/02/will-russia-and-china-dominate-ocean.html"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Will Russia and China Dominate Ocean Nuclear Technology?</span></span></a></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><a href="http://newpapyrusmagazine.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-case-for-remotely-sited-underwater.html"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The Case for Remotely Sited Underwater Nuclear Reactors</span></span></a></h3><a href="https://newpapyrusmagazine.blogspot.com/2018/09/methanol-as-marine-fuel.html">Methanol as a Marine Fuel</a> <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Marcel F. Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16245086958213100840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8809438035746342262.post-54211681331910160722019-02-05T17:31:00.003-08:002019-02-05T17:31:37.471-08:00Timelapse of Every Major Military Battle in World History<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HK5OsDWYJmQ" width="410"></iframe><br />Marcel F. Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16245086958213100840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8809438035746342262.post-21333105867995910832019-01-13T16:47:00.000-08:002019-01-13T16:47:50.990-08:00Watch China Land their Robotic Lander on the Far Side of the Moon!<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FbY887PwJeo" width="410"></iframe><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1ZmYX5nVwLc" width="410"></iframe><br />Marcel F. Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16245086958213100840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8809438035746342262.post-66500901238800183672019-01-11T10:09:00.000-08:002019-01-11T10:11:37.015-08:00Elephant Artist<br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">M</span>ore than 2000 years ago, the Greek philosopher, Aristotle, referred to the elephant as "the beast which passeth all others in wit and mind."</b><br /><br /><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7meBvOEyuzQ" width="410"></iframe><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-EjukzL-bJc" width="410"></iframe><br />Marcel F. Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16245086958213100840noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8809438035746342262.post-27456122483286955432018-12-24T11:51:00.000-08:002018-12-24T13:24:10.791-08:00Utilizing the Centaur V and ACES 68 for Deep Space SLS Missions <span style="font-size: small;">by Marcel F. Williams</span> <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XG-f7rq8big/XBm4Vgd2hFI/AAAAAAAAElY/c5B1L6bper4TMogRpZqefMSwQMKi1znMgCLcBGAs/s1600/Centaur%2BV.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="339" data-original-width="341" height="318" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XG-f7rq8big/XBm4Vgd2hFI/AAAAAAAAElY/c5B1L6bper4TMogRpZqefMSwQMKi1znMgCLcBGAs/s320/Centaur%2BV.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><b>Artist rendition of&nbsp; ULA's future upper stage precursor to the IVF modified ACES 68, accommodating 68 tonnes of LOX/LH2 propellant (Credit: United Launch Alliance)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">N</span>ASA currently envisions three launches for the SLS (Space Launch System) using a Block I configuration and&nbsp; consisting of an ICPS (</b><b>Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage) for its upper stage.&nbsp;</b> The basic Block I vehicle will be capable of deploying at least 70 tonnes to LEO. However, by utilizing the ICPS as an upper stage that can accommodate&nbsp; 27 tonnes of propellant, the Block I configuration with an ICPS upper stage will be able to deploy at least 95 tonnes of payload to low Earth orbit.<br /><br />A Block IB configuration with an EUS (Exploration Upper Stage) is expected to be introduced by 2024. The&nbsp; EUS will be able to&nbsp; accommodate 128 tonnes of LOX/LH2 propellant. And this will enable the Space Launch System to deploy up to 105 tonnes of payload&nbsp; to LEO.&nbsp; NASA currently plans to use the Block IB configuration to assemble the future Lunar Gateway at <b>NRHO (Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit)</b>. The Lunar Gateway will serve as a bridge for Lunar and Martian operations, substantially reducing the delta v requirement to reach the orbits of the Moon and Mars. <br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>NASA's Current&nbsp; Launch Sequence for the SLS</b></span> <br /><br /><b>2020:</b> <br /><br />The SLS Block I launch vehicle will deploy an unmanned Orion spacecraft to a Distant Retrograde Orbit (DRO) before returning the capsule to the Earth. DRO is interesting because of its lack of station keeping requirement. Such a distant equatorial orbit of the Moon might make&nbsp; DRO&nbsp; a prime location for massive rotating artificial gravity habitats perhaps sometime&nbsp; in the second half of the 21st century. It might also be a good location for small asteroids imported into cis-lunar space for potential exploitation. <br /><br /><b>2022:</b><br /><br />The second SLS&nbsp; Bloch I launch is scheduled&nbsp; to send a crewed Orion spacecraft around the Moon as an inaugural human occupied beyond LEO spaceflight for the SLS system. <br /><br /><b>2023:&nbsp;</b> <br /><br />The third scheduled SLS Block I launch&nbsp; will be used to deploy&nbsp; the Europa Clipper to Jupiter orbit in order to study the surface of its icy moon, Europa.<br /><br /><b>2024: </b><br /><br />The first launch of the SLS Block IB is scheduled for 2024. It will consist of an Orion crew of four plus a ten tonne component of the Lunar Gateway which will be assembled at NRHO . This location will eventually give crewed&nbsp; vehicles weekly access to the lunar surface with as little as 12 hours of travel time to and from the surface of the Moon. <br /><br /><b>2026: </b><br /><br />Four subsequent SLS Block IB flights will be required to completely assemble the Lunar Gateway by 2026.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PDDWm1-Ltnk/XBm5zNvrA2I/AAAAAAAAElk/u_-8a2dx7VEUynORw0fpzJkJ3QtFgfDgQCLcBGAs/s1600/SLS%2BBlock%2BI%2BCargo%2B95.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="641" data-original-width="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PDDWm1-Ltnk/XBm5zNvrA2I/AAAAAAAAElk/u_-8a2dx7VEUynORw0fpzJkJ3QtFgfDgQCLcBGAs/s1600/SLS%2BBlock%2BI%2BCargo%2B95.png" /></a></td></tr><tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><b>SLS Block I Cargo with ICPS upper stage capable of deploying 95 tonnes to LEO (Credit: NASA) </b></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6vG7z9P1lmo/XBm8D2ofXwI/AAAAAAAAEl4/no4Kkdz0n8k_K6DXtY7Vhz24OkP4MynpQCLcBGAs/s1600/SLS%2BBI%2B-%2B70.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="229" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6vG7z9P1lmo/XBm8D2ofXwI/AAAAAAAAEl4/no4Kkdz0n8k_K6DXtY7Vhz24OkP4MynpQCLcBGAs/s1600/SLS%2BBI%2B-%2B70.png" /></a></td></tr><tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><b>SLS Block I without upper stage, capable of deploying 70 tonnes to LEO (Credit: NASA)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Flaws in NASA's SLS Plans</b></span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>One.</b></span> Only one or two&nbsp; SLS launches are required to deploy the Lunar Gateway to NRHO-- <b>not five SLS launches</b>. Of course, the amount of mass that can be deployed to NRHO by the SLS is substantially reduced under the NASA scenario because of the joint launch of the Orion spacecraft and Service Module. This would be&nbsp; an unnecessary joy ride for NASA astronauts that would greatly inflate the cost of deploying the Gateway while also significantly delaying its full implementation. <br /><br />Why spend more than two to five times as much as you have to deploy the Lunar Gateway when dollars for NASA's human spaceflight related programs are so hard to come by? Plus NASA needs more funding to help private companies develop lunar crew landing vehicles, space propellant depots, extraterrestrial habitats, and interplanetary crew transport spacecraft. <br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Two.</b></span>&nbsp; Under NASA's current scenario, the Lunar Gateway wouldn't even start to be assembled until 2024 with a completion date around 2026. Again, a totally unnecessary delay in deployment. <br /><br />An SLS Block I with an ICPS upper stage could probably deploy a complete SLS derived Deep Space Habitat to NRHO as early as 2022 that weighs about 20 tonnes-- without consumables. Food and water could subsequently be launched to the Gateway by commercial launch vehicles. <br /><br />An SLS Block IB, would be able to deploy SLS derived Deep Space Habitat concepts weighing&nbsp; 22 tonnes for 353 cubic meters of habitable pressurized volume and 28 tonnes for 519 cubic meters of habitable pressurized volume with a single launch in 2024. That would still be two years earlier than NASA's current Lunar Gateway completion plans. <br /><br />However, a large private commercial upper stage is currently being developed by the ULA (United Launch Alliance) that will be used to deploy payloads for the Air Force (Space Force?). And the ULA's Centaur V could be certified for military payloads in 2021 and ready for utilization in 2022. <br /><br />If&nbsp; the SLS was used to deploy a large commercial upper stage (Centaur V) to LEO, NASA could deploy a 28 tonne SLS derived Deep Space Habitat to NRHO with just two launches.&nbsp; Assuming a maximum dry weight of no more than seven tonnes for the Centaur V, an SLS Block one launch could deploy the Centaur V to orbit with at least 63 tonnes of propellant.&nbsp;An SLS Block I with an ICPS upper stage could deploy the Centaur V with 68 tonnes of propellant to LEO plus 20 tonnes of additional payload for, perhaps,&nbsp; another ICPS with at least 16 tonnes of additional propellant.&nbsp; <br /><br />After docking with an SLS payload deployed to LEO by a previous SLS launch, the Centaur V should be easily capable of transporting more than 30 tonnes of payload to NRHO. <br /><br />However, the preceding SLS Block I launch would be able to deploy up to 70 tonnes of payload to LEO. So you could actually&nbsp; deploy two 28 tonne habitats to LEO (just 56 tonnes) with one destined for NRHO after the next SLS upper stage launch-- while the other 28 tonne habitat remains at LEO as a potential replacement for the ISS.<br /><br />Replacing the ISS with a new space station would possibly save NASA up to $4 billion a year!<br /><br />An SLS derived LEO habitat wouldn't be a space laboratory, it would simply be a habitat used for NASA and Space Force astronaut training and for the training of astronauts from foreign space agencies. It could also be a used as a destination for wealthy space tourist and space entrepreneurs.&nbsp; Small commercial launched space laboratories could be co-orbited near the LEO habitat while lab specialist use the SLS derived habitat as a hotel, visiting their floating laboratory only when necessary to add or retrieve materials.<br /><br />Alternatively, NASA could deploy three 22 tonne SLS derived habitats to LEO with one destined for NRHO with the other two remaining at LEO. One could be used exclusively for NASA and the Space Force with the other being auctioned off to a private space company for space tourism or to accommodate the needs of foreign space agencies. <br /><br />While the above scenario might delay the first crewed flight of the SLS until 2023 (just one year), it would actually give astronauts a place to go on their first SLS flight in 2023. Of course, NASA could still have a&nbsp; test flight of a crewed Orion in 2021 instead of 2022.&nbsp; NASA astronauts could use commercial crew vehicles to travel to LEO to inspect the Gateway habitat before its deployed to NRHO. <br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Three.&nbsp;</b></span> There's no logical reason to waste an SLS launch for a flyby mission of Europa. The Europa Clipper can probably be deployed by commercial launch vehicles. However, an orbital mission to Europa is questionable since the moon Callisto would be much easier to access. Callisto is the only place in Jupiter space where human outpost could be set up for&nbsp; potential colonization.&nbsp; A human outpost on the surface of&nbsp; Callisto would make it substantially&nbsp; easier to&nbsp; explore&nbsp; Europa, Ganymede, and Io (all within Jupiter's deadly radiation belt) with robots remotely controlled from the surface of Callisto. A better near term use for a non human spaceflight related launch of the SLS would be the deployment of space telescopes with mirror diameters even larger than the James Webb. <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BNVLEUbBb2w/XBm9-GI9y7I/AAAAAAAAEmM/T_K1PDZ1d-8T8yqzsy-U4Ur6SooGyqAGgCLcBGAs/s1600/Large%2BSLS%2BDSH.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="309" data-original-width="226" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BNVLEUbBb2w/XBm9-GI9y7I/AAAAAAAAEmM/T_K1PDZ1d-8T8yqzsy-U4Ur6SooGyqAGgCLcBGAs/s1600/Large%2BSLS%2BDSH.png" /></a></td></tr><tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><b>16.5 meter long 8.4 meter in diameter SLS derived orbital habitat (Credit: NASA)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tUwNivBm6Y8/XBm-Eac8TKI/AAAAAAAAEmQ/Ji6RtM1gqNAIX6dR7fM9ogYHql5CRySGQCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-12-18%2Bat%2B4.08.34%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="337" data-original-width="228" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tUwNivBm6Y8/XBm-Eac8TKI/AAAAAAAAEmQ/Ji6RtM1gqNAIX6dR7fM9ogYHql5CRySGQCLcBGAs/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-12-18%2Bat%2B4.08.34%2BPM.png" width="215" /></a></td></tr><tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><b>13.5 meter long 8.4 meter in diameter SLS derived orbital habitat (Credit: NASA)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Propellant Depots and the Future of the Orion</b></span><br /><br />The utilization of reusable vehicles for the human exploration, pioneering, and exploitation of the lunar surface is one of the primary reasons for having a Lunar Gateway at NRHO.&nbsp; Reusable spacecraft will, of course, require propellant depots.<br /><br />Once the Lunar Gateway is deployed, co-orbiting propellant depots can also be deployed to NRHO by private commercial launch companies. NASA breakthroughs in zero boil off (ZBO)&nbsp; liquid hydrogen storage should make it possible for commercial launch companies to deploy propellant tank derived&nbsp; LH2 (liquid hydrogen) and liquid oxygen (LOX) storage tanks to NRHO that don't leak any hydrogen or oxygen. More sophisticated technologies could allow the solar power production and liquefaction of&nbsp; hydrogen and oxygen from water in space which could substantially reduce launch complexity and cost for commercial launch companies. <br /><br />The SLS propellant tank technology derived EUS might have questionable utility if NASA is already using the Centaur V and, subsequently, the ACES-68 to deploy heavy payloads to deep space locations.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e-iov9Ts8F0/XBvhzBy5YtI/AAAAAAAAEm4/qSMRdIDJyEgwg8JTeLoOa0p1BO0QZ8ypQCLcBGAs/s1600/ACES%2B68%2BULA.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="516" data-original-width="206" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e-iov9Ts8F0/XBvhzBy5YtI/AAAAAAAAEm4/qSMRdIDJyEgwg8JTeLoOa0p1BO0QZ8ypQCLcBGAs/s320/ACES%2B68%2BULA.png" width="127" /></a></td></tr><tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><b>Notional ACES 68 with BE3 Engine (Credit: ULA)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br />With its Integrated Vehicle Fuel (IVF) technology, the ULA's ACES-68 successor to the Centaur V could be in operation as early as 2023 but is currently planned to go into operation within the 2024 to 2025 time frame. It now seems likely that the ULA will allow Lockheed Martin, one of its parent companies, to be first to develop IVF technology for its future reusable crewed lunar landing vehicles. In tandem (on either side of an orbiting payload) two such ACES vehicles could transport payloads exceeding 70 tonnes from LEO to NRHO or to Low Lunar Orbit. A single ACES 68 could deploy an equal amount of payload to Mars orbit from NRHO; so massive amounts of water or propellant deployed to NRHO could easily be later deployed to Mars orbit from NRHO. <br /><br />If propellant depots are deployed at LEO and NRHO, the ACES-68 could replace the ICPS and the Service Module for the Orion space capsule. This would make the Orion a completely reusable vehicle for transporting astronauts between LEO and NRHO. So no longer would the Orion spacecraft have to be deployed by the SLS for deep space missions.&nbsp; &nbsp; The ULA's Vulcan spacecraft could deploy the reusable Orion/ACES to LEO, fueling the ACES 68 booster at a LEO propellant depot before heading for NRHO or Low Lunar Orbit. <br /><br />So, in theory,&nbsp; astronauts could board a commercial launch vehicle (Falcon 9/Dragon, Atlas V/Centaur/CST-100, etc.) that transports them to LEO. The could then dock with an already propellant depot fueled&nbsp; Orion/ACES vehicle for transport to the Lunar Gateway or to Low Lunara Orbit. Again, no SLS launch would be required which means that the heavy lift vehicle could be more properly used to transport heavy payloads to LEO. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-63g4FZT9mf0/XBpxKFi-9RI/AAAAAAAAEms/YgmZbXXS2tE0Cdxc5Pfsq6VY7_8zf5V4wCLcBGAs/s1600/Orion%253AACESDSH%2540EML1%2BBb.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="510" data-original-width="613" height="332" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-63g4FZT9mf0/XBpxKFi-9RI/AAAAAAAAEms/YgmZbXXS2tE0Cdxc5Pfsq6VY7_8zf5V4wCLcBGAs/s400/Orion%253AACESDSH%2540EML1%2BBb.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><b>Notional Orion/ACES reusable shuttle with crew hab approaches&nbsp; SLS derived Lunar Gateway at NRHO (Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit). (After NASA and ULA) </b></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Future of the EUS</b></span><br /><br />If NASA eventually uses commercial upper stages such as the Centaur V and the ACES 68&nbsp; to transport large and heavy payloads initially transported to LEO by the SLS then the space agency could delay the deployment of the EUS and focus on developing a far more enhanced orbital transfer vehicle. An SLS derived EUS&nbsp; equipped with IVF and cryocooler technologies could make such a vehicle reusable. Such a vehicle could simply use the SLS core stage liquid oxygen tank as a liquid hydrogen tank while also deriving a smaller oxygen tank from the same technology.<br /><br />Such a reusable vehicle&nbsp; could accommodate more than 345 tonnes of LOX/LH2 propellant. And it could be used to transport large habitats and their crews&nbsp; to the orbits of Mars, Venus, and to the NEO asteroids from NRHO. The performance of such a reusable interplanetary crew transport could also be greatly enhanced by coupling it with a&nbsp; twin transport or just a reusable ACES booster with 68 tonnes of propellant. Propellant depots in Mars orbit would be required for the the return journey to Earth. But, again, the water or propellant could be routinely transported to Mars orbit from water or propellant transported from the lunar surface to NRHO. Eventually, however, propellant depots in Mars orbit could be routinely supplied with water or propellant extracted from the regolith of the martian moons, Deimos and Phobos. And it might even be economical to transport liquid hydrogen from the surface of Mars from reusable spacecraft to orbiting depots to be used with liquid oxygen extracted from the martian moons for propellant.&nbsp; <br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>An Alternate SLS Launch Scenario&nbsp;</b></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>2020:</b></span><br /><br /><b>SLS 1:</b> Unmanned SLS Block I launch of&nbsp; Orion/SM/ICPS to DRO (Distant Retrograde Orbit)<br /><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b>2021:</b></span><br /><br /><b>SLS 2:</b> Crewed SLS Block I launch of&nbsp; Orion/SM/ICPS to TLI (Trans Lunar Injection) around the Moon<br /><br />(Beginning of deployment of small mobile robots to the lunar surface by commercial launch companies)&nbsp; <br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>2022:</b></span> <br /><br /><b>SLS 3:</b> Unmanned SLS Block I launch of two 28 tonne&nbsp; SLS derived microgravity habitats to LEO. <br /><br />(Two Commercial Crew launches to LEO to inspect the twin microgravity habitats.)<br /><br /><b>SLS 4:</b>&nbsp; SLS Block I launches Centaur V to LEO. Centaur five docks with Lunar Gateway at LEO and transports the fully complete deep space habitat to NRHO (Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit)<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>2023:</b></span><br /><br /><b>SLS 5:</b> Crewed SLS Block I launch of&nbsp; Orion/SM/ICPS&nbsp; to Lunar Gateway at NRHO.<br /><br /><b>SLS 6:</b>&nbsp; SLS Block I with ICPS upper stage launches a Centaur V with an <b>8 meter class space telescope</b> to ESL2 (Earth-Sun Lagrange Point 2).&nbsp; The new space telescope will have an 8 meter plus monolithic primary mirror housed within a 12 meter in diameter payload fairing. And it will join the with join the 6.5 meter in diameter James Webb telescope at&nbsp; ESL2. The diameter for the mirror for the Hubble Telescope was 2.4 meters.&nbsp; The development of such a enormous fairing size for the SLS will&nbsp; greatly enhance the launch vehicles unique ability&nbsp; to accommodate exceptionally large payloads. <b>NASA needs to stop entertaining smaller payload shrouds for the SLS that could nullify its advantage over other launch systems. &nbsp;&nbsp;</b> <br /><br />(Commercial launch companies begin the continuous deployment of tanks of LOX and LH2 to depot clusters at&nbsp; LEO and NRHO)<br /><br />{NASA begins using new RS-28 engines for the SLS core vehicle. Hopefully, some meager funding to develop an SLS-B (the SLS without&nbsp; Solid Rocket Boosters) with a commercial Centaur V or ACES upper stage and a commercial CST-100, Dream Chaser, Dragon, or maybe even an Orion as the crew capsule. This would allow more frequent use of the SLS core stage and its RS-25 engines which should help to substantially reduce the overall cost of SLS launches.}&nbsp; &nbsp; <br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>2024:</b></span> <br /><br /><b>SLS 7:</b> SLS Block I launches two reusable Lockheed Martin Lunar Crew Landing Vehicle (LCLV) equipped with advanced IVF and cryocooler technology. One LCLV will be launched with enough fuel to self deploy itself to the Lunar Gateway at NRHO. The LCLV already fueled with LH2,&nbsp; will utilize a LEO orbiting LOX depot in order to fuel itself for self deployment to NRHO. <br /><br />Both Lunar Crew Landing Vehicles&nbsp; will be fueled and tested (unmanned) at NRHO with each traveling to opposite lunar poles to deploy mobile robots to the surface via their lift elevators.&nbsp; Some of the mobile robots will collect regolith samples for return to the Lunar Gateway and eventually to Earth. A few weeks later, one LCLV will be deployed to the surface of the far side of the Moon to collect regolith more lunar regolith samples while proving the vehicle's reusability.<br /><br />{First NASA /ULA funded unmanned test of a reusable Orion/ACES to NRHO followed by the first crewed Orion/ACES to the Lunar Gateway at NRHO. The reusable vehicle will be launched into orbit by the ULA Vulcan rocket. The success of&nbsp; reusable Orion/ACES spacecraft and reusable Lockheed Martin Lunar Landing Vehicle (used for crew transport between LEO and NRHO) should end the necessity of using the SLS to deploy astronauts to NRHO Gateway}<br /><br /><b>SLS 8:</b> Last crewed SLS Block I launch of&nbsp; Orion/SM/ICPS to Lunar Gateway at NRHO. <b>&nbsp;</b><br /><br />After the six member crew arrives at NRHO, four astronauts will climb aboard one of the Lunar Crew Landing Vehicles to travel to one of the lunar poles <b>(The first Americans to land on the lunar surface since 1972)</b>. If the crew on the lunar surface should have some serious difficulties attempting to return to the Lunar Gateway, the remain astronauts at NRHO will use the second LCLV to rescue the astronauts from the lunar surface, returning them safely to the Lunar Gateway. <br /><br /><i><b>So under this SLS launch scenario (before the end of 2024),&nbsp; NASA would have a new simpler and cheaper (and possibly money making) space station at LEO, a new Lunar Gateway at NRHO, plus American astronauts and hopefully, guest astronauts from foreign space agencies, routinely traveling to and from the lunar surface from the Lunar Gateway on private commercial landing vehicles. </b></i><br /><br /><br /><b>Links and References</b><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/sls_lift_capabilities_and_configurations_508_03152018_0.pdf">Space Launch System Lift Capabilities</a><br /><h1 class="post-title single-post-title"><a href="https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/12/plan-d-nasa-updates-em-2-baseline/"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">“Plan D for Outer Space” — NASA updates EM-2 mission baseline</span></span></a></h1><div id="top-search"></div><a href="https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/10/navigating-twists-turns-steering-sls-development/">Navigating the twists and turns steering SLS Development</a><br /><h1 itemprop="headline"><a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/12/talking-rockets-with-tory-bruno-vulcan-the-moon-and-hat-condiments/"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">Getting Vulcan up to speed: Part one of our interview with Tory Bruno</span></span></a></h1><h1 class="post-title single-post-title"><a href="https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/09/nasa-lunar-gateway-plans/"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">NASA updates Lunar Gateway plans</span></span></a></h1><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Launch_System">Space Launch System</a><br /><br /><a href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20150016185.pdf">Deep Space Habitats</a><br /><br /><a href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20140012883.pdf">Habitat Concepts for Deep Space Exploration</a><br /><br /><a href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20070038373.pdf"></a><br /><a href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20070038373.pdf">Ares V Launch Capability Enables Future Space Telescopes</a><br /><br /><div class="page" title="Page 1"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br /><div class="layoutArea"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br /><div class="column"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><a href="http://sciences.ucf.edu/class/wp-content/uploads/sites/58/2017/02/Kutter-ACES-Space-2015.pdf"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times&quot;;">ACES Stage Concept: Higher Performance, NewCapabilities, at a Lower Recurring Cost</span></span></a><br /><h1 class="post-title"><a href="https://spacenews.com/ulas-vulcan-rocket-to-be-rolled-out-in-stages/"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">ULA’s Vulcan Rocket To be Rolled out in Stages</span></span></a></h1><a href="https://twitter.com/torybruno/status/625994038697676800">ULA's Tory Bruno (Twitter) </a><br /><br /><div class="page" title="Page 1"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><a href="https://www.ulalaunch.com/docs/default-source/exploration/affordable-exploration-architecture-2009.pdf"><span style="font-family: &quot;timesnewromanps&quot;; font-size: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">A Commercially Based Lunar Architecture</span></span></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;timesnewromanps&quot;; font-size: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br /><div class="page" title="Page 1"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><a href="https://www.ulalaunch.com/docs/default-source/exploration/evolving-to-a-depot-based-space-transportation-architecture.pdf">Evolving to a Depot-Based Space Transportation Architecture</a></div></div></div></div></div></div><a href="http://www.sei.aero/eng/papers/uploads/archive/SpaceWorks%20CPS%20Study%20Final%20Distribution.pdf">A Study of CPS Stages for Missions beyond LEO</a><br /><br /><div class="page" title="Page 1"><div class="section"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><a href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20180007052.pdf"><span style="font-family: &quot;timesnewromanpsmt&quot;; font-size: 12.000000pt;">LARGE SCALE CRYOGENIC STORAGEWITH ACTIVE REFRIGERATION</span></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;timesnewromanpsmt&quot;; font-size: 12.000000pt;"> </span><br /><div class="page" title="Page 1"><div class="section"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><a href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20180006597.pdf"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;timesnewromanps&quot;;">Transient Modeling of Large Scale Integrated Refrigerationand Storage Systems</span></span></a></div></div></div></div><br /></div></div></div></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times&quot;;">&nbsp;<span style="font-family: &quot;timesnewromanps&quot;;"> </span></span></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="page" title="Page 1"><div class="section" style="background-color: rgb(34.900000%, 34.900000%, 34.900000%);"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><br /></div></div></div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times&quot;;">&nbsp;</span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;times&quot;; font-size: 18.000000pt; font-weight: 700;"></span></div></div></div>Marcel F. Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16245086958213100840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8809438035746342262.post-44941848373363028442018-11-28T20:11:00.000-08:002018-11-29T08:51:21.060-08:00Mitigating Forest Fires by Harvesting Potentially Hazardous Woodland Biomass for the Production of Renewable Methanol <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vBhMuqoR2r8/W_9k1rwWMPI/AAAAAAAAElI/YK1ufvrpnXQIrn8C1kj12iiG5j_b7H-1wCLcBGAs/s1600/146b580f2d1fa33c9eced28c0f5e4c4b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="640" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vBhMuqoR2r8/W_9k1rwWMPI/AAAAAAAAElI/YK1ufvrpnXQIrn8C1kj12iiG5j_b7H-1wCLcBGAs/s400/146b580f2d1fa33c9eced28c0f5e4c4b.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>California Fires 2018 (Credit: David McNew/Getty)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />&nbsp;by Marcel F. Williams<br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">C</span>alifornia's forest, woodland areas, and its nearby residents are the latest victims of climate change as the world's fossil fuel dominated energy economy continues to increase greenhouse gasses in the Earth's atmosphere to dangerous levels.&nbsp; &nbsp; </b><br /><br />The state of California has 33 million acres of forest land.&nbsp; Less than 400,000 of that acreage&nbsp; burned in California from 1980 to 1990.&nbsp; But just last year, 1.4 million acres burned in California. And so far this year, 1.8 million acres of California land has&nbsp; burned.<br /><br />Why?<br /><br />California has grown 3 degrees warmer during the autumn seasons over the past 40 years while rainfall in the state has decreased by about one third during the same&nbsp; period of time. <br /><br />The&nbsp; Federal government owns about 57% of the woodlands in California. Privately owned forest accounts for about 40% of California's woodland areas. But the State of California only owns about 3% of Califorinia's forest. <br /><br />It is currently estimated that California's woodland areas have approximately 129 million dead trees. . Ironically, removing dead trees actually enables the spread of grasses and combustible weeds that make forest more likely to burn.&nbsp;Dry kindling, brush, bushes and twigs are the principal catalyst for the rapid spread of wildfires. So such vegetation also has to be safely managed. <br /><br />Some of the worst forest fires in California have been caused by power lines. This has prompted some in the state to suggest burying power lines that transverse forested areas. But their are more than 176,000 miles of power lines in California. And putting power lines underground would cost ten times as much as stringing them on poles.<br /><br />Controlled burning of woodland vegetation has long been a method for fire mitigation since before the arrival of Europeans in North America. But&nbsp; burning&nbsp; woodland vegetation would increase the amount of excess carbon dioxide put into the Earth's atmosphere, exacerbating the problem of rising temperatures that have helped to enhance the fire danger in California in the first place.<br /><br />But&nbsp; there is an alternative solution that could make the mitigation of forest fires&nbsp; in California economically sustainable while also reducing California's dependence on fossil fuels. And such measures cold eventually lead California's energy production and use becoming completely carbon neutral. &nbsp; And all it would&nbsp; take would be for two legislative measures to pass within the State of California.&nbsp; <br /><br /><b>Its my view that the State government in California should pass legislation that: </b><br /><br />1. Mandates that&nbsp; all utilities producing electricity within the State of &nbsp; California&nbsp; produce at least 5% of that electricity&nbsp; for their customers by using-- bio-methanol-- directly derived&nbsp; from&nbsp; the dead trees and potentially dangerous woodland biomass in California’s forest and wooded residential areas by the year 2025 and up to&nbsp; 10% by the year 2030<br /><br />and&nbsp; <br /><br />2. Requires all gasoline sold in California to contain at least 5%-- bio-gasoline-- synthesized from bio-methanol that is directly derived from the dead trees and potentially dangerous woodland vegetation in California's forest and wooded residential areas by the year 2025 and up to 10% by the year 2030. <br /><br />That's it!&nbsp; <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BX1RI9MV6_w/W_xJBDCkcuI/AAAAAAAAEkw/GLf-C7Rd7DUiMR4kuLHkDNZ_3jixOejRQCLcBGAs/s1600/Trinidad-1%252Bmethanol%252Bpower%252Bplant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="276" data-original-width="600" height="183" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BX1RI9MV6_w/W_xJBDCkcuI/AAAAAAAAEkw/GLf-C7Rd7DUiMR4kuLHkDNZ_3jixOejRQCLcBGAs/s400/Trinidad-1%252Bmethanol%252Bpower%252Bplant.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Methanol electric power plant at Point Lisas, Trinidad (Credit: Mendenhall Technical Services)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Approximately 33% of the electricity produced in California is generated by natural gas power plants. About 53% of California's electric power is produced by carbon neutral renewable and nuclear power energy sources.<br /><br />Its neither difficult nor exorbitantly expensive to modify an existing natural gas electric power plant&nbsp; to use methanol instead of natural gas. Additionally,&nbsp; methanol electric power plants would have a higher electric power output than burning natural gas thanks to wood alcohol's&nbsp;<span style="font-size: small;"> low heating value, low lubricity, and low flash point.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br />Gasoline can be blended with methanol up to 15% without any modifications to an automobile. But&nbsp; <br />energy companies have been able to synthesize&nbsp; methanol directly&nbsp; into high octane gasoline since the 1970s. And this would allow any level of mixing with gasoline from petroleum. In theory, you could have gasoline that is 80% derived from bio-methanol and 10% from petroleum with the remaining 10% of the fuel being composed of ethanol. Such an automotive fuel would be-- 90% derived-- from renewable biomass, reducing the utilization of gasoline from oil by 90%. <br /><br />Any increases in the cost of gasoline containing bio-gasoline from bio-methanol could encourage Californians to purchase more fuel efficient electric and plug-in-hybrid electric vehicles. But a vehicle fuel mix of 10% ethanol (Federally mandated), 10%&nbsp; gasoline from bio-methanol, and 80% gasoline from petroleum could substantially reduce oil demand, possibly mitigating any additional cost related to a mandated use of 10% bio-gasoline. <br /><br />Methanol could also be directly used in high fuel efficiency hybrid fuel cell vehicles. Using methanol directly in automobiles would, of course, be cheaper than converting methanol into gasoline. Bio-methanol derived from California's forest could also be used to produce biodiesel. <br /><br />There is also a growing global interest in using methanol to power sea vessels. Methanol powered ships would be cleaner and bio-methanol ships&nbsp; with no sulfur emissions and&nbsp; lower nitrogen oxide emissions relative to current marine vessels powered by fuels synthesized from petroleum. Marine methanol ferries are already operating between Sweden and Germany. <br /><br />Legislation mandating the use of bio-methanol from California's forest should provide a strong economic incentive for energy companies selling electricity and gasoline in California to hire forest workers to aggressively harvest dead trees and other potentially dangerous woodland vegetation from California forest and residential woodland areas for conversion into methanol. This should substantially reduce&nbsp; the level of fire&nbsp; danger in California's woodland areas while also reducing the amount of CO2 put into the atmosphere as the result of the reduction in forest fire and forest fire intensity.&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /><br />Beyond the reduction in fire danger,&nbsp; hiring people to harvest potentially dangerous woodland biomass&nbsp; should have a&nbsp; positive economic impact for nearby residential communities. &nbsp;Converting at least 10% of the&nbsp; natural gas power plants in California for methanol utilization should also have some positive economic impact for communities near such energy producing facilities. &nbsp; And the deployment of&nbsp; pyrolysis and synthesis facilities designed to convert biomass into methanol within&nbsp; California should have positive economic impact for the entire state. <br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sk0rVxAybmU/W_Sp81waktI/AAAAAAAAEkc/egdyHdn6OlMsCMD62g5KtYb9wtN-8ycngCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/a-flying-whale-airship-image-credit-flying-whale_1915001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sk0rVxAybmU/W_Sp81waktI/AAAAAAAAEkc/egdyHdn6OlMsCMD62g5KtYb9wtN-8ycngCK4BGAYYCw/s400/a-flying-whale-airship-image-credit-flying-whale_1915001.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Notional Flying Whale airship (Credit: Flying Whales)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The enhanced harvesting of dead trees and potentially dangerous woodland vegetation from remote forest might also encourage energy companies within&nbsp; California&nbsp; to utilize the next generation of airship technology. And airships might also greatly enhance the ability of the State of California and the US Federal government to fight fires in California's forest.<br /><br />Airships being developed by the French company, Flying Whales, are being designed to transport up to 60 tonnes of lumbar within forested areas. Such airship technology could obviously be of use in California for removing the hundreds of dead trees that currently exist in California forest.<br /><br />Lockheed Martin, on the other hand,&nbsp; is developing an airship that could transporting payloads up to 20 tonnes in mass within a large cargo bay.&nbsp; Forest kindling, grass,&nbsp; bushes, twigs and other potentially dangerous vegetation could be removed from California forest by Lockheed Martin's airships.<br />&nbsp; <br />Similar airship technology could also be used by the State and Federal government to fight forest fires,&nbsp; dousing woodland fires and residential areas near forest with tonnes of water routinely retrieved from nearby lakes. The Lockheed Martin airships could also be used to rescue residents and fire fighters that might be trapped by raging forest fires.<br /><br />The aggressive utilization of &nbsp; airship technology in California could help California businesses to lead the US and the world in&nbsp; the new age of airships. And, in theory,&nbsp; such airships could be fueled with dimethyl ether, derived from methanol derived from California's forest&nbsp; my modifying the diesel engines to use dimethyl ether. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jARAOWZwOzk/W_SrGRKsJ5I/AAAAAAAAEko/DK3YPwODducVJolDTgIcWMRmQeBzLHSwQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/572a02f8dd089508428b45d3-1920-960.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jARAOWZwOzk/W_SrGRKsJ5I/AAAAAAAAEko/DK3YPwODducVJolDTgIcWMRmQeBzLHSwQCK4BGAYYCw/s400/572a02f8dd089508428b45d3-1920-960.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lockheed Martin airship (Credit: Lockheed Martin)</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The introduction of a methanol economy into California could also enhance the ability of the state to become-- completely carbon neutral by mid century. This, however,&nbsp; would require the production of hydrogen through renewable or nuclear resources--&nbsp; or a combination of both. Hydrogen could be used to synthesize methanol from wasted CO2 from the pyrolysis of urban and rural biomass&nbsp; and from the&nbsp; CO2 waste from the flu gasses of methanol electric power plants.<br /><br />For California to be completely carbon neutral, all of the natural gas electric power plants in California would have to be converted into methanol power plants. The gradual&nbsp; conversion of electric power production from natural gas to renewable methanol would make California carbon negative during the transition from fossil fuels to renewable biomass,&nbsp; with more CO2 being extracted from the Earth's atmosphere&nbsp; than being returned to the atmosphere. However, once all fossil fuel power plants have been replaced by methanol power plants that recycle CO2 from methanol synthesis and flu gas, then electric energy production and consumption in California would be carbon neutral.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-be7hXa6noeI/W_x3BcWkcuI/AAAAAAAAEk8/vT9VsZKK4zAFct_ij6MPx1nWHpnUNEjUwCLcBGAs/s1600/Methanol%252BComplex%252BC.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1020" data-original-width="359" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-be7hXa6noeI/W_x3BcWkcuI/AAAAAAAAEk8/vT9VsZKK4zAFct_ij6MPx1nWHpnUNEjUwCLcBGAs/s640/Methanol%252BComplex%252BC.png" width="225" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Synthesis of renewable methanol from biomass.</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Hydrogen in California could be produced from large solar or nuclear facilities located near biomass pyrolysis plants and methanol electric power plants. Alternatively, such facilities located near California coastlines could liquefy the carbon dioxide, exporting the CO2 by tankers to remote ocean nuclear power or renewable (floating wind, solar, or OTEC) facilities&nbsp; in remote US territorial waters where methanol and other renewable synthetic fuels could be safely manufactured.&nbsp; The Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) surrounding remote island territories such as: Wake Island, Howland Island, Baker Island, Johnston Atoll, Jarvis Island, etc. could be regions where floating vessels could use carbon neutral energy sources to produce methanol, jet fuel, dimethyl ether, gasoline and diesel fuel far away from urban populations.&nbsp; Methanol could then be shipped by methanol powered tankers back to the California coastline to fuel its methanol electric power plants or for conversion into renewable gasoline.&nbsp; <br /><br />But once the transition from fossil fuels is complete, California energy production and consumption would be carbon neutral. Eventually,&nbsp; California will have a shortage of bio-carbon resources for its energy economy which would require the extraction of additional CO2 directly from the atmosphere or from seawater or both.&nbsp; <br /><br /><br /><br /><b>Links and References</b><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica&quot;;"> </span></span><br /><div class="page" title="Page 1"><div class="section" style="background-color: rgb(100.000000%, 100.000000%, 100.000000%);"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/23082018/extreme-wildfires-climate-change-global-warming-air-pollution-fire-management-black-carbon-co2"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica&quot;; font-size: 24pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">How Wildfires Can Affect ClimateChange (and Vice Versa)</span></span></a><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica&quot;; font-size: 24.000000pt; font-weight: 700;"> </span></div></div></div></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica&quot;;">&nbsp;</span></span> <br /><a href="https://sd39.senate.ca.gov/news/20180601-senate-passes-legislative-package-response-wildfire-danger"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica&quot;;">Senate Passes Legislative Packagein Response to Wildfire Danger&nbsp;</span></span></a><br /><br /><a href="https://calmatters.org/articles/california-forest-management-fires/"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica&quot;;">Thinning California's fire-proneforests: 5 things to know aslawmakers move toward a plan&nbsp;</span></span></a><br /><a href="https://www.hcn.org/issues/49.21/wildfire-what-fire-researchers-learned-from-northern-california-blazes"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica&quot;;">What fire researchers learnedfrom California’s blazes</span></span></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #001f6e; font-family: &quot;timesnewromanps&quot;;">&nbsp;</span></span><a href="https://www.methanex.com/sites/default/files/about-methanol/methanol-and-energy/Methanex_PowerBrochure.pdf">Methanol for Power Generation</a><br /><h5 class="vc_custom_heading" style="font-family: Lato; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.methanol.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Methanol-as-a-low-cost-alternative-fuel-for-emission-reduction-in-gas-turbines-Dor-Chemicals.pdf"><span style="font-size: small;">Methanol as a Low Cost Alternative Fuel for Emission Reduction in Gas Turbines</span></a></h5><h5 class="vc_custom_heading" style="font-family: Lato; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.methanol.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Dor-Chemicals-Methanol-Turbine-Demo-Jerusalum-Post.pdf"><span style="font-size: small;">Methanol - Gaining Twice: Improving Both the Quality of Air as well as Providing a Reliable Electricity Supply</span></a><span style="color: rgb(0.000000% , 12.194000% , 43.014000%); font-family: &quot;timesnewromanps&quot;; font-size: 19.000000pt; font-weight: 700;"> </span></h5><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><a href="http://newpapyrusmagazine.blogspot.com/2017/11/renewable-methanol-as-liquid-electricity.html"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Renewable Methanol as Liquid Electricity</span></span></a></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><a href="http://newpapyrusmagazine.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-methanol-alternative-2012-methanol.html"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Methanol Alternative: 2012 Methanol Forum</span></span></a></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span></span><a href="http://newpapyrusmagazine.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-production-and-utilization-of.html"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Production and Utilization of Renewable Methanol in a Nuclear Economy</span></span></a></h3><h1><a href="https://methanolfuels.org/fuel-blending/"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">Methanol Fuel Blending</span></span></a></h1><a href="https://iea-etsap.org/E-TechDS/PDF/I09IR_Bio-methanol_MB_Jan2013_final_GSOK.pdf"><span style="font-size: small;">The Production of Bio-Methanol</span></a><br /><h1 class="post-title single"><a href="http://www.biofuelsdigest.com/bdigest/2018/01/24/the-rise-rise-rise-of-bio-methanol-for-fuels-and-chemical-markets/"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">The rise, rise, rise of bio-methanol for fuels and chemical markets</span></span></a></h1><h1 class="title-h1" itemprop="headline"><a href="https://uk.blastingnews.com/tech/2018/03/in-france-whales-soon-will-fly-002475977.html"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="id-blasting-tv-masthead-video-title">In France, whales soon will fly</span></span></span></a></h1><h1><a href="https://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.asp?aircraft_id=1545"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="textWhite">Lockheed Martin LMH-1 (P-791)</span></span></span></a></h1><div class="page" title="Page 1"><div class="section" style="background-color: rgb(100.000000%, 100.000000%, 100.000000%);"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn2425-gigantic-airships-aim-to-damp-forest-fires/"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica&quot;;">Gigantic airships aim to dampforest fires</span></span></a><br /><div class="page" title="Page 1"><div class="section" style="background-color: rgb(100.000000%, 100.000000%, 100.000000%);"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><div class="page" title="Page 1"><div class="section" style="background-color: rgb(100.000000%, 100.000000%, 100.000000%);"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><a href="http://newpapyrusmagazine.blogspot.com/2017/05/floating-nuclear-power-plants-floating.html"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">Floating Nuclear Power Plants, Floating Power Barges, and Marine Methanol</span></span></a></h3></div></div></div></div><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><a href="http://newpapyrusmagazine.blogspot.com/2016/12/siting-ocean-nuclear-power-plants-in.html"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Siting Ocean Nuclear Power Plants in Remote US Territorial Waters for the Carbon Neutral Production of Synfuels and Industrial Chemicals</span></span></a></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><a href="http://newpapyrusmagazine.blogspot.com/2016/02/will-russia-and-china-dominate-ocean.html"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">Will Russia and China Dominate Ocean Nuclear Technology?</span></span></a></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><a href="http://newpapyrusmagazine.blogspot.com/2017/09/flexblue-underwater-commercial-nuclear.html"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">FlexBlue Underwater Commercial Nuclear Reactor</span></span></a></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><a href="http://newpapyrusmagazine.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-future-of-ocean-nuclear-synfuel.html"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The Future of Ocean Nuclear Synfuel Production</span></span> </a></h3><br /><br /></div></div></div></div><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica&quot;; font-size: 24.000000pt; font-weight: 700;"></span> </div></div></div></div><br />Marcel F. Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16245086958213100840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8809438035746342262.post-5946779292494204102018-10-22T14:33:00.001-07:002018-10-22T14:35:56.469-07:00Evaluating Lockheed Martin's Reusable Lunar Lander and Orbital Propellant Depot Concept <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Tj2ldTv0q4M/W7a9gip1I3I/AAAAAAAAEhU/cNiZARraWVoILXvQ8rkXLtS9EwMlnWolwCLcBGAs/s1600/Lunar%2BCrew%2BLander.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="659" data-original-width="639" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Tj2ldTv0q4M/W7a9gip1I3I/AAAAAAAAEhU/cNiZARraWVoILXvQ8rkXLtS9EwMlnWolwCLcBGAs/s400/Lunar%2BCrew%2BLander.png" width="386" /></a></td></tr><tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><b>Notional&nbsp; reusable lunar landing spacecraft on the lunar surface (Credit: Lockheed Martin)</b> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: small;">by&nbsp; Marcel F. Williams&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span>t the 69th International Astronautical Congress held in Bremen, Germany this month,&nbsp; <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Lockheed Martin&nbsp; unveiled a new reusable lunar crew lander concept. </span></span></b><br /><br />For simplicity,&nbsp; I'll designate the notional Lockheed Martin spacecraft discussed in this article as the <b>R-LL (Reusable Lunar Lander)</b>. &nbsp; According to Lockheed Martin, the R-LL will have dry weight of 22 tonnes and be capable of storing up to 40 tonnes of LOX/LH2 propellant. The R-LL will have up to 5 km/s of&nbsp; delta-v capability.<br /><br />Lockheed Martin argues that the R-LL should be capable of crewed round trip&nbsp; missions to any area of&nbsp; the lunar surface from NASA's future <b>Deep Space Gateway (DSG)</b> which is to be located at a <b>Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit (NRHO)</b>.&nbsp; &nbsp; Such round trip missions, they argue,&nbsp; would also be capable of delivering up to one tone of payload to the lunar surface in addition to a crew of four individual astronauts.&nbsp; <br /><br /><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/k5w_RgKHBR4" width="410"></iframe><br /><br />While Lockheed Martin has been rather vague about the exact dimensions of the R-LL, they have indicated that it will consist of only two cryotanks and will be derived from the Centaur upper stage family and its descendants. They also suggest that the R-LL will have a diameter close to that of&nbsp; the future Orion spacecraft.<br /><br />Since Lockheed Martin's Centaur V is currently in development as the future upper stage for the ULA's future 5.4 meter in diameter Vulcan rocket, one might speculate that the diameter of the R-LL cryotanks might be the same as&nbsp; and&nbsp; is supposed to have the same 5.4 meter diameter as the Centaur V. Such large diameter liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen tanks should be capable of easily accommodating the 40 tonnes of propellant required for the R-LL. So deriving the lunar vehicle from the Centaur V cryotanks might be the simplest and cheapest path towards rapidly developing the R-LL. <br /><br /><b>Lockheed Martin's Notional&nbsp; Reusable Crewed&nbsp; Lunar Landing Vehicle </b><br /><br /><b>Propellant:</b> 40 tonnes of LOX/LH2<br /><br /><b>Inert Weight:</b> 22 tonnes<br /><br /><b>Engines:</b> Four RL-10 derived engines<br /><br /><b>Maximum delta-v capability:</b> 5.0 km/s<br /><br /><b>Maximum number of crew:</b> Four<br /><br /><b>Additional cargo capability:</b> one tonne of additional cargo <br />The R-LL would use four engines to provide engine out capability. This would enhance crew safety during attempted landings in case of a serious malfunction with one of its engines. So just two counter balancing engines could be used during a landing in case of single malfunction engine. &nbsp; &nbsp; Lockheed Martin says that engines for the R-LL&nbsp; would be derived from&nbsp; Aerojet Rocketdyne's&nbsp; RL-10 family or from Blue Origins restartable BE-3 engine. Aerojet Rocketdyne's RL-10 derived CECE engines would be&nbsp; capable of at least 50 restarts with a throttling range from 104 percent to&nbsp; just eight percent of thrust.&nbsp; <br /><br />Departing from the Deep Space Gateway, it would take approximately 12 hours for the R-LL to reach any point on the lunar surface. Another 12 hours would be required for the R-LL to return to the&nbsp; gateway at NRHO.<br /><br /><b>NRHO: <span style="font-size: small;">(Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit):</span></b><br /><br />Travel time to and&nbsp; from LEO:~5 days from LEO (3.95 km/s)<br /><br />Station keeping: 5 m/s per year<br /><br />Travel time to and from LLO:~ 12 hours to LLO (0.730 km/s)<br /><br />Lockheed Martin says that their notional lunar spacecraft would be capable of accommodating&nbsp; a crew of four astronauts on the lunar surface for up to two weeks. Such a lengthy stay would require at least four tonnes of additional shielding mass to protect astronauts from the inherently&nbsp; deleterious heavy nuclei component of cosmic radiation and from a major solar flare. So one would assume that such enhanced radiation shielding would be part of the notional space vehicle's 22 tonnes of inert mass.<br /><br />Lockheed Martin has also suggest that propellant depots could be co-orbited with the Deep Space Gateway so that the R-LL can be refueled at NRHO.<br /><br />The simplest propellant depots would probably have to be utilized within a month after deployment to NRHO since approximately 3.81% of its liquid hydrogen and 0.49% of its liquid oxygen would boil off within a months time. For the 40 tonne LOX/LH2 requirement for the R-LL, such propellant depots would probably have to NRHO by the SLS or the BFR.<br /><br />More sophisticated propellant depots could be equipped with cryocoolers and solar arrays capable of re-liquefying fuel boil-off.&nbsp; Ullage gases from the boil-off of liquid hydrogen could be used to re-liquefy gaseous oxygen while 12 to 15 kWh of electricity would be needed to liquefy one kilogram of gaseous hydrogen. The 5.7 tonnes of liquid hydrogen required for a lunar mission would lose more than 217 kilograms of LH2 per month (7.2 kilograms per day).&nbsp; But a 10 kWe solar&nbsp; array deployed to NRHO capable of producing more than&nbsp; 240 kWh of electricity per day would be capable of re-liquefying 16 to 20 kilograms of LH2 per day.&nbsp; The solar arrays for the Orion spacecraft will be capable of producing more than 11&nbsp; kW of electric power. So it should be rather simple to deploy propellant depots already equipped with cryocoolers and and solar panels in order to prevent fuel boil-off.&nbsp; <br /><br />Solar powered depots that simply re-liquefied its ullage gases and powered pumps for storing and transferring liquid fueles would only&nbsp; require the continuous delivery of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.&nbsp; Future Vulcan Heavy/Centaur rocket could deliver 7.3 tonnes of liquid hydrogen or oxygen to NRHO per launch. Monthly launches could deliver more than 87 tonnes of propellant to depots located at NRHO per year, more than enough for two R-LL missions to the lunar surface per year.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1EZVT6NBQVw/W8T-uNUYLYI/AAAAAAAAEik/CKp7AUxwejEppJuDwISdploMP1M7rk3TgCLcBGAs/s1600/Lochkeed%2BMartin%2Bspace%2Bdepot.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="137" data-original-width="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1EZVT6NBQVw/W8T-uNUYLYI/AAAAAAAAEik/CKp7AUxwejEppJuDwISdploMP1M7rk3TgCLcBGAs/s1600/Lochkeed%2BMartin%2Bspace%2Bdepot.png" /></a></td></tr><tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><b>Notional propellant producing water depot (Credit: Lockheed Martin)</b></td></tr></tbody></table>The most technologically complex propellant depots could use solar power to&nbsp; actually&nbsp; produce liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen directly from water. This would require the addition of an electrolysis plant plus substantially more solar power.&nbsp; A 375 KWE solar array proposed by Lockheed Martin could produce 40 tonnes of liquid hydrogen and oxygen propellant at NRHO per month. Such huge 375 KWE solar arrays would weigh&nbsp; less than four tonnes. And two such arrays could be directly delivered to NRHO with a single SLS launch. But much smaller commercial launch vehicles could deploy 300 KWe arrays to LEO for later transport to NRHO by fueled upper stages deployed to LEO. 300 KWE arrays at NRHO could produce 40 tonnes of propellant in five or six weeks rather than just four weeks for the larger arrays. <br /><br />Solar powered propellant producing water depots would make it much simpler and safer for commercial rockets to deliver fuel to NRHO since the payload would only be water. Propellant producing water depots at NRHO could eventually be supplied with water from the lunar poles.<br /><br />Of course, water and propellant being produced on the lunar surface itself would dramatically reduce the amount of propellant required for &nbsp; R-LL departures from NRHO. Reusable tanker vehicles directly derived from the R-LL could deliver more than 40 tonnes of lunar water&nbsp; to propellant producing water depots at&nbsp; NRHO per flight.&nbsp; Just 12 round trips from the lunar surface could deliver enough water to NRHO to manufacture enough fuel for crewed missions to the orbits of Mars or Venus.<br /><br />Lockheed Martin envisions that astronauts would be deployed to the NRHO gateway via the Orion and the Space Launch System. And then the would take the R-LL to the lunar surface and back to the NRHO gateway. And then they would take the Orion back to Earth. <br /><br />However, propellant depots deployed at LEO&nbsp; would make SLS crew launches of the Orion vehicle obsolete.&nbsp; Refueling at LEO, the R-LL would have more than enough delta-v capability to transport crews from LEO to the&nbsp; NRHO gateway. And refueling at NRHO, the R-LL would, of course, be capable of returning crews from NRHO back to LEO.&nbsp; And even with&nbsp; 22 tonne of inert weight, a&nbsp; 5.4 meter in diameter R-LL could be launched to Leo aboard a Vulcan/Centaur launch vehicle within&nbsp; a&nbsp; 6.4 meter in diameter payload fairing.<br /><br />So for trips to the lunar surface, astronauts would simply take a Commercial Crew Launch vehicle (Falcon9/Dragon or Vulcan/Centaur/CST-100) to a commercial space habitat at LEO where a propellant depot refueled R-LL was already docked and ready to be boarded.&nbsp; The R-LL would leave LEO with enough&nbsp; propellant to take its crew on a 5 day journey to the NRHO gateway where another already depot fueled R-LL would already be docked.&nbsp; The second R-LL&nbsp; would take the crew for a round trip to the lunar surface, 12 hours to reach the surface and 12 hours to return to astronauts to the Deep Space Gateway.&nbsp; The astronauts would return to the gateway with the first R-LL already fueled for their return to a commercial space station at LEO. The Crew would than take a Dragon or CST-100 Starliner back to the Earth's surface. <br /><br />Such an architecture would, finally,&nbsp; allow the SLS to be used--exclusively-- as a super heavy lift cargo transport. Such payloads could include: large and spacious microgravity and artificial gravity habitats derived from SLS propellant tank technology,&nbsp; large water and propellant depots derived from SLS propellant tank technology, interplanetary spacecraft capable of accommodating at least 400 tonnes of propellant derived from SLS propellant tank technology for crewed missions to the orbits of Mars and Venus, 8 meter in diameter space telescopes exceeding the capability of the James Webb telescope,&nbsp; and large inflatable microgravity and surface habitats that could make it a lot more spacious and comfortable for future astronauts and tourist to live under artificial gravity conditions in space or on the hypogravity surfaces of the Moon and Mars.<br /><br /><br /><b>Links and References</b><br /><br /><a href="https://www.lockheedmartin.com/content/dam/lockheed-martin/space/documents/ahead/LM-Crewed-Lunar-Lander-from-Gateway-IAC-2018-Rev1.pdf">Concept for a Crewed Lunar Lander Operating from the Lunar Orbiting Platform Gateway</a><br /><h1 class="post-title"><a href="https://spacenews.com/lockheed-martin-unveils-lunar-lander-concept/"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">Lockheed Martin unveils lunar lander concept</span></span></a></h1><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><a href="http://newpapyrusmagazine.blogspot.com/2018/06/cis-lunar-gateways-and-advantages-of.html"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Cis-Lunar Gateways and the Advantages of Near Rectilinear Orbits </span></span></a></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><a href="http://newpapyrusmagazine.blogspot.com/2017/10/lockheed-martins-reusable.html"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Lockheed Martin's Reusable Extraterrestrial Landing Vehicle Concept for the Moon and Mars</span></span></a></h3><br /><br /><br /><br />Marcel F. Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16245086958213100840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8809438035746342262.post-80495854017771906672018-10-10T08:58:00.000-07:002018-10-10T08:58:26.049-07:00FlexCraft Single Person Space Vehicle <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R0VZlpJqN-A/W74f_fxGIiI/AAAAAAAAEiY/a4XMlk8jKGIjzZEN38I2Ve_aqvUF-HoMwCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-10-10%2Bat%2B8.50.11%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="660" data-original-width="646" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R0VZlpJqN-A/W74f_fxGIiI/AAAAAAAAEiY/a4XMlk8jKGIjzZEN38I2Ve_aqvUF-HoMwCLcBGAs/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-10-10%2Bat%2B8.50.11%2BAM.png" width="312" /></a></td></tr><tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><b>Notional FlexCraft repairing ISS panel (Credit: Genesis Engineering Solutions)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bysvILy5Mck" width="410"></iframe><br /><br /><br /><b>Links and References </b><br /><h1 class="h1"><a href="https://www.space.com/42034-single-person-spacecraft-design-passes-test.html"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">Innovative Single-Person Spacecraft Design Passes Leak Test</span></span></a></h1><h1 class="h1"><a href="https://www.space.com/39573-single-person-spacecraft-passes-pool-test.html"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">Single-Person Spacecraft Design Passes Pool Test</span></span></a></h1><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FlexCraft">FlexCraft</a><br /><br /><a href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20120013602.pdf">Benefits of a Single-Person Spacecraft for Weightless Operations</a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Marcel F. Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16245086958213100840noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8809438035746342262.post-66207682743479164442018-09-04T01:10:00.000-07:002018-09-05T17:04:08.836-07:00Methanol as a Marine Fuel <iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QI-V0TO5PzM" width="410"></iframe><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uEXB-97zWGs/W449gDuWn5I/AAAAAAAAEbk/oxoEb1735McKXcBLJkTbqk4AWCPleUV3ACLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-09-04%2Bat%2B1.07.15%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="609" data-original-width="956" height="253" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uEXB-97zWGs/W449gDuWn5I/AAAAAAAAEbk/oxoEb1735McKXcBLJkTbqk4AWCPleUV3ACLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-09-04%2Bat%2B1.07.15%2BAM.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LUOQyKQ3zdM/W449gDaxoYI/AAAAAAAAEbg/pZ_wYEGg7KMMNoenNRQTC5zGH9JMRG6QwCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-09-04%2Bat%2B1.06.22%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="544" data-original-width="870" height="250" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LUOQyKQ3zdM/W449gDaxoYI/AAAAAAAAEbg/pZ_wYEGg7KMMNoenNRQTC5zGH9JMRG6QwCLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-09-04%2Bat%2B1.06.22%2BAM.png" width="400" /></a><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X70HndOi1EY/W449gVByZtI/AAAAAAAAEbo/bmZGgI6mKugiOB_AI4LlwLCro36EEHhRQCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-09-04%2Bat%2B1.07.53%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="1148" height="207" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X70HndOi1EY/W449gVByZtI/AAAAAAAAEbo/bmZGgI6mKugiOB_AI4LlwLCro36EEHhRQCLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-09-04%2Bat%2B1.07.53%2BAM.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><b>Links and References</b><br /><br /><a href="https://www.methanex.com/about-methanol/methanol-marine-fuel">Methanol as a Marine Fuel</a> <br /><br /><br /><br />Marcel F. Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16245086958213100840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8809438035746342262.post-23457237084805714402018-08-30T09:54:00.001-07:002018-08-30T09:54:43.412-07:00Prominent Lunar Scientist, Dr. Paul Spudis, Passes Away at 66<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ggIs1XY8bsU/W4gd4TEe74I/AAAAAAAAEbU/tMK713WOb5w6eztq1r0vJ-Wfy-uXeFeXACLcBGAs/s1600/spudis-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="485" data-original-width="879" height="220" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ggIs1XY8bsU/W4gd4TEe74I/AAAAAAAAEbU/tMK713WOb5w6eztq1r0vJ-Wfy-uXeFeXACLcBGAs/s400/spudis-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Paul Spudis: 1952- 2018</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br />&nbsp;<a href="https://spacepolicyonline.com/news/paul-spudis-passes-away/"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">Paul Spudis Passes Away</span></span></a><br /><h2 class="PostHeaderIcon-wrapper"><a href="http://www.leonarddavid.com/the-passing-of-paul-spudis-moon-exploration-expert/"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="PostHeader">The Passing of Paul Spudis: Moon Exploration Expert</span></span></span></a></h2><a href="http://nasawatch.com/archives/2018/08/paul-spudis.html">Paul Spudis: NASA WATCH</a><br /><br /><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Spudis">Paul Spudis: Wikipedia</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.spudislunarresources.com/index.htm">Spudis Lunar Resources</a><br />Marcel F. Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16245086958213100840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8809438035746342262.post-82767262366359417122018-08-23T20:10:00.000-07:002018-08-23T20:10:04.849-07:00 Utilizing the Phantom Express to Supply Water to Propellant Producing Orbital Depots<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MKv5xiGanB0/W3IWj4SSSXI/AAAAAAAAEZY/GVgyIymiadspeKj65221EdFOk4H2YNVSwCLcBGAs/s1600/xs-1_space_high-res.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="979" data-original-width="1486" height="262" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MKv5xiGanB0/W3IWj4SSSXI/AAAAAAAAEZY/GVgyIymiadspeKj65221EdFOk4H2YNVSwCLcBGAs/s400/xs-1_space_high-res.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><b>Artist rendition of a suborbital&nbsp; Phantom Express with side mounted payload rocket (Credit: Boeing Aerospace) </b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">D</span>uring a recent 10 day testing period, Aerojet Rocketdyne&nbsp; successfully hot-fired its new Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) derived&nbsp; rocket engine-- the AR-22. </b>The Sacramento, California headquartered company successfully demonstrated that the&nbsp; AR-22 could be restarted every 24 hours for ten consecutive days. And this is a major step towards testing the new rocket engine's reusability&nbsp; in&nbsp; Boeing's future unmanned space plane-- the Phantom Express.&nbsp;<br /><br />Boeing's first test flights of the Phantom Express are currently scheduled for 2021. But the final test of the reusable space plane will entail launching the Phantom Express ten times in just&nbsp; ten days while deploying payloads between&nbsp; 3000 to 5000 lbs (1.36 tonnes to 2.27 tonnes) to LEO with an expendable upper stage.<br /><br />Launching the Phantom Express with a single rocket engine, the AR-22 will be designed to be utilized up to ten times before requiring refurbishment.&nbsp; And each AR-22 engine will have an ultimate lifetime of 55 missions before before being completely replaced by a brand new AR-22 engine.&nbsp; Boeing estimates the cost to launch a the Phantom Express to be less than $5 million. And Boeing plans to&nbsp; commercialize the&nbsp; Phantom Express, offering the space plane to both US government and commercial customers. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eI9x1mONq1Y/W3KRiE7DJ6I/AAAAAAAAEZ4/z2n9zEVyAww-OQi_mvOs87a-YTiR7Po1ACLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-08-14%2Bat%2B1.22.44%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="544" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eI9x1mONq1Y/W3KRiE7DJ6I/AAAAAAAAEZ4/z2n9zEVyAww-OQi_mvOs87a-YTiR7Po1ACLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-08-14%2Bat%2B1.22.44%2BAM.png" width="323" /></a></td></tr><tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><b>Artist rendition of Phantom Express at launch pad with side mounted cargo rocket (Credit: Boeing Aerospace)</b></td></tr></tbody></table>Just seven AR-22 engines would have to be produced every year&nbsp; in order for the Phantom Express to be&nbsp; continuously launched on a daily basis.<br /><br />If the&nbsp; Phantom Express were used to transport a valuable commodity such as water to LEO then 13 to 22 tonnes of water&nbsp;could be launched into orbit in ten days for less than $50 million, more than 40 tonnes of water in a month, and&nbsp; for less than $500 million. Optimally, the most advanced version of NASA's Space Launch System is eventually supposed to be able to deploy up to&nbsp; 130 tonnes of payload to orbit for about $500 million per launch. But for less than $500 million, 100 hundred launches of the Phantom Express could deliver between 130 tonnes to 220 tonnes of water to LEO.<br /><br /><u><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Total mass of a commodity that can be deployed to LEO via daily launch of a single Phantom Express space plane: </b></span></u><br /><br /><b>Daily - 1.36&nbsp; to 2.27 tonnes</b><br /><br /><b>Monthly - 40.8&nbsp; to 68.1 tonnes</b><br /><br /><b>Yearly - 496.4&nbsp; to 828.6 tonnes&nbsp; </b><br /><br />Water, of course, is an indispensable commodity for human survival on Earth. And water would be even more valuable for human commerce and survival in extraterrestrial environments. Aboard the ISS, water is used for drinking, washing, food preparation, and for the production of air through electrolysis. Water can also be used for growing fruits and vegetables, aquaculture, animal husbandry. Water can also be used for&nbsp; shielding astronauts from the extremely deleterious heavy nuclei component of cosmic radiation while also mitigating the effects of cosmic radiation in general and ions from major solar events (solar storms).<br /><br /><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tEZDWoJdC7w" width="410"></iframe><br /><br />But electrolysis used to produce oxygen for air also produces hydrogen. And electricity can also be used to liquefy both oxygen and hydrogen for use as a propellant for reusable extraterrestrial vehicles. While the current&nbsp; SLS could deploy up to 90 tonnes to LEO, it can only transport about&nbsp; 25 tonnes of cargo on a trans lunar injection trajectory.&nbsp; But with the assistance of LEO orbiting propellant producing water depots, a reusable extraterrestrial vehicle&nbsp; such as the ULA's future LOX/LH2 fueled&nbsp; Integrated Vehicle Fluids (IVF) ACES-68 could transport more than 50 tonnes of payload on a trans lunar trajectory. And a notional&nbsp; IVF&nbsp; modified SLS Exploration Upper Stage (R-EUS) could be used to&nbsp; transport&nbsp; more than 100 tonnes of payload on a trans lunar&nbsp; trajectory.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SWufTAJmRyI/W3IYtps_cpI/AAAAAAAAEZk/U0LmxkxiNvskpVa6owB2fOQuVXr6AdrkQCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-08-13%2Bat%2B4.46.55%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="343" data-original-width="802" height="136" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SWufTAJmRyI/W3IYtps_cpI/AAAAAAAAEZk/U0LmxkxiNvskpVa6owB2fOQuVXr6AdrkQCLcBGAs/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-08-13%2Bat%2B4.46.55%2BPM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><b>Notional propellant producing water depot with twin solar array (Credit: Lockheed Martin)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The propellant producing water depots could be simply derived from the propellant tanks of extraterrestrial vehicles with the edition of radiation panels, water storage, electrolysis plants for splitting the water into hydrogen and oxygen , and cryocoolers to liquefy the gaseous hydrogen and oxygen. Such depots could also be equipped with IVF thrusters for station keeping and with rocket engines to enable the depot to self deploy practically anywhere within cis-lunar space and even into orbit around Mars, Venus, Jupiter, and the asteroids in the asteroid belt.<br /><br />A depot derived from the ACES upper stage could store up to 68 tonnes of LOX/LH2 propellant while an EUS derived depot could store up to 128 tonnes of LOX/LH2 propellant. Reusable upper stage rockets that&nbsp; use liquid methane instead of hydrogen as fuel, could utilize the excess amount of oxygen (22%) produced at depots that can't be used by the limited amount of&nbsp; hydrogen produced.<br /><br />The large solar arrays needed to provide power for propellant producing water depots in orbit could be deployed by commercial launch vehicles. The ULA's future Vulcan spacecraft with its 5.4 meter in diameter payload fairing could deploy a 300 MWe solar array to LEO with a single launch. Two such solar arrays docked to each other could provide up to 600 MWe of power within cis-lunar space.&nbsp; Orbiting at&nbsp; LEO, such depots should have access to ample sunlight for producing propellant 61% of the time. But at the Earth-Moon Langrange points, such as NRO, solar energy would be uninterrupted, allowing water depots to&nbsp; produce liquid hydrogen and oxygen continuously as long as water is provided. <br /><br />Reusable ACES or R-EUS derived orbital transfer vehicles could&nbsp; transport water from LEO to other propellant producing water depots located at the Earth-Moon Lagrange points. But once water is manufactured and exported from the Moon's low gravity well, exports of water from LEO to the rest of cis-lunar space would probably be commercially non competitive. In fact, lunar sources of water might someday compete with water resources being exported to LEO from the surface of the Earth via the Phantom Express.&nbsp; <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lDk7v51QlQU/W34RJXg8CQI/AAAAAAAAEbA/_qb5k77D-GEOYAmXDdP5zoo2pxGw5EHTQCLcBGAs/s1600/Orion-ACES%2B%2540%2BNRO%2Bdepot%2BDX.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="987" data-original-width="768" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lDk7v51QlQU/W34RJXg8CQI/AAAAAAAAEbA/_qb5k77D-GEOYAmXDdP5zoo2pxGw5EHTQCLcBGAs/s400/Orion-ACES%2B%2540%2BNRO%2Bdepot%2BDX.png" width="310" /></a></td></tr><tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><b>Notional crewed Orion-ACES reusable shuttle approaching EUS derived propellant producing water depot @ NRO with 600 KWe solar array. The notional WPD-OTV-125 would be capable of storing up to 200 tonnes of water and up to&nbsp; 125 tonnes of LOX/LH2 water derived propellant.&nbsp; </b></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Traveling to the moon using a propellant producing water depot architecture could be much easier and safer since vehicles returning from deep space would simply return to Earth orbit instead of plunging directly through the Earth's atmosphere to the Earth's surface. Commercial Crew launched vehicles could simply launch astronauts or paying tourist to LEO to dock with a commercial space station. A reusable ACES upper stage perhaps joined with an Orion capsule with no Service Module would refuel at a nearby propellant depot and then dock with the space station to pick up the passengers from Earth. The Orion-ACES would then travel for about five days to an orbiting commercial outpost located at NRO (Near Rectilinear Lunar Orbit). A XEUS vehicle would refuel at a nearby propellant depot and then dock at the deep space habitat to pick up the passengers. Less than&nbsp; 12 hours would be required to transport the passengers to the lunar surface and the XEUS would still have enough propellant to return the crew back to the NRO habitat for the return trip to LEO and then back to the Earth's surface.<br /><br />The daily deployment of water to LEO by the Phantom Express could allow other launch vehicles to focus their efforts on deploying passengers and large and heavy habitats, crewed interplanetary spacecraft, and other large structures to LEO where they could easily be transported to other areas of cis-lunar space and beyond by reusable orbital transfer vehicles such as the future ACES or IVF modified EUS.&nbsp; <br /><b><br /></b><b>Links and References</b><br /><br /><h1 class="post-title single-post-title"><a href="https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/07/ssme-returns-ar-22-rapid-reuse-ten-times-ten-days/"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">SSME returns as AR-22 for rapid reuse demonstration, fired ten times in ten days</span></span></a></h1><h1 class="name"><a href="https://www.ien.com/product-development/video/21011978/engineers-test-fire-reusable-rocket"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Engineers Test Fire Reusable Rocket</span></span></a></h1><div class="copy-paste-block"><h1><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/missions/defense/boeing-darpa-xs-1-operate-cape-canaveral/">Boeing/DARPA XS-1 to operate from Cape Can</a>averal</span></span></h1></div><h1 class="h1 article-detail__title"><a href="https://newatlas.com/first-phantom-express-engine/54925/"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">First Phantom Express spaceplane engine completed</span></span></a></h1><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><a href="http://newpapyrusmagazine.blogspot.com/2018/06/cis-lunar-gateways-and-advantages-of.html"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Cis-Lunar Gateways and the Advantages of Near Rectilinear Orbits</span></span></a></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><a href="http://newpapyrusmagazine.blogspot.com/2018/02/efficient-utilization-of-space-launch.html"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Efficient Utilization of the Space Launch System in the Age of Propellant Depots</span></span></a></h3><br /><br />Marcel F. Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16245086958213100840noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8809438035746342262.post-32485092557965472562018-08-06T12:25:00.002-07:002019-01-18T09:35:21.687-08:00Thor and the Thorium Solution for Plutonium from Commercial Nuclear Reactors<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OLSw_gF0pAM/W0TjanROiLI/AAAAAAAAETQ/lGpE-wIr-LkDdI9OvtOcmba8ZP9L8qthwCLcBGAs/s1600/800px-Ma%25CC%258Arten_Eskil_Winge_-_Tor%2527s_Fight_with_the_Giants_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1157" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OLSw_gF0pAM/W0TjanROiLI/AAAAAAAAETQ/lGpE-wIr-LkDdI9OvtOcmba8ZP9L8qthwCLcBGAs/s640/800px-Ma%25CC%258Arten_Eskil_Winge_-_Tor%2527s_Fight_with_the_Giants_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg" width="441" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">"Thor's battle with the giants" painting by Mårten Eskil Winge (1872</span>)</b> </td></tr></tbody></table><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;">by Marcel F. Williams</span> </span></b><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">B</span>ecause of the political inability to deal with the long term disposal of spent fuel from commercial nuclear reactors in the US by the federal government, some states in the US have banned the building of new&nbsp; commercial nuclear power plants.</b><br /><br />California state law, for instance, has banned the construction of new commercial nuclear power plants until the US Federal government establishes a long-term policy on the disposal of spent fuel (nuclear waste). And with current plans to close its last nuclear power plant (Diablo Canyon) by the year 2025, California will eventually have no&nbsp; nuclear facilities providing carbon neutral electricity to its nearly 40 million residents. <br /><br />While the US has principally focused on finding a permanent site for the spent fuel from its commercial nuclear facilities, some nations, such as France,&nbsp; have focused on recycling the plutonium component of spent fuel while storing away the fissile and fertile uranium for perhaps future use in commercial nuclear reactors-- plus the residual radioactive material that cannot be recycled<br /><br />While France mixes plutonium with uranium 238 (MOX) to partially recycle nuclear waste in its current light water reactors, this process produces even more plutonium. But&nbsp; a Swedish company (Thor Energy) has come up with an alternative solution. They propose mixing the plutonium from spent fuel with fertile thorium instead of fertile uranium 238. The utilization of such fuel in conventional light water reactors would allow for the plutonium to be incinerated while producing electricity while producing fissile uranium 233 that could be eventually extracted and used to enrich the spent fuel containing fissile uranium 235 and fertile uranium 238 stored away. This would allow most spent fuel produced from nuclear reactors to be recycled to produce even more carbon neutral energy. <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ssw26kINAZM/W2igGukb0bI/AAAAAAAAEZM/e4cMta8QaXIpXv5RihUk3L0alf0wtKiiQCLcBGAs/s1600/North%252BAmerican%252Bthorium%252Bdeposits-1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="931" data-original-width="1236" height="301" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ssw26kINAZM/W2igGukb0bI/AAAAAAAAEZM/e4cMta8QaXIpXv5RihUk3L0alf0wtKiiQCLcBGAs/s400/North%252BAmerican%252Bthorium%252Bdeposits-1.gif" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>North American Thorium Deposits</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /><b>Countries with the Largest Thorium Reserves (tonnes) </b><br /><br /><b>India ...................... &nbsp;&nbsp; 846,000<br />Turkey................... &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 744,000<br />Brazil .................... &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 606,000<br />Australia ............... &nbsp;&nbsp; 521,000<br />USA ...................... &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 434,000<br />Egypt.................... &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 380,000<br />Norway................. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 320,000<br />Venezuela............. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 300,000<br />Canada................. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 172,000<br />Russia.................. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 155,000<br />South Africa........ &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 148,000<br />China................... &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 100,000<br />Greenland.............. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 86,000<br />Finland.................. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 60,000<br />Sweden.................. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 50,000<br />Kazakhstan............ &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 50,000 </b><br /><br />Thor Energy envisions using a mix of 90% thorium and 10% plutonium in conventional light water reactors.&nbsp; Thorium Mox could also be used in future underwater light water nuclear reactors such as France's FlexBlue system.&nbsp; Remotely sited underwater reactors could be used to produce carbon neutral synfuels (methanol, gasoline, jet fuel, diesel fuel, etc.) which could be shipped to coastal towns and cities around the world for&nbsp; transportation and local heat and electricity production.&nbsp; <br /><br /><br /><b>Links and References</b><br /><br /><a href="http://thorenergy.no/">Thor Energy</a><br /><h1 class="headline montserrat bold" itemprop="headline"><a href="https://www.upi.com/Californias-last-nuclear-power-plant-to-close-by-2025/4641515774730/"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">California's last nuclear power plant to close by 2025</span></span></a></h1><h1 class="headline montserrat bold" itemprop="headline"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://newpapyrusmagazine.blogspot.com/2014/09/spent-fuel-and-thorium-solution.html">Spent Fuel and the Thorium Solution</a>&nbsp; </span></span></h1><h1 class="compTitle" itemprop="headline"><a href="https://www.powerengineeringint.com/articles/print/volume-19/issue-5/features/blue-submarine-the-flexblue-offshore-nuclear-reactor.html"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Blue submarine: The Flexblue offshore nuclear reactor</span></span></a></h1><a href="http://newpapyrusmagazine.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-case-for-remotely-sited-underwater.html">&nbsp;The Case for Remotely Sited Underwater Nuclear Reactors</a><br /><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><a href="http://newpapyrusmagazine.blogspot.com/2016/12/siting-ocean-nuclear-power-plants-in.html"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">Siting Ocean Nuclear Power Plants in Remote US Territorial Waters for the Carbon Neutral Production of Synfuels and Industrial Chemicals</span></span></a></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><a href="http://newpapyrusmagazine.blogspot.com/2016/02/will-russia-and-china-dominate-ocean.html"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Will Russia and China Dominate Ocean Nuclear Technology?</span></span></a></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><a href="http://newpapyrusmagazine.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-future-of-ocean-nuclear-synfuel.html"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The Future of Ocean Nuclear Synfuel Production</span></span></a></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><a href="http://newpapyrusmagazine.blogspot.com/2017/05/floating-nuclear-power-plants-floating.html"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Floating Nuclear Power Plants, Floating Power Barges, and Marine Methanol</span></span></a> </h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><a href="http://newpapyrusmagazine.blogspot.com/2012/10/nuclear-navys-synfuel-from-seawater.html"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Nuclear Navy's Synfuel from Seawater Program: An interview with Kathy Lewis of the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory</span></span></a></h3><br />Marcel F. Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16245086958213100840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8809438035746342262.post-86971527943466709492018-07-30T23:27:00.000-07:002018-07-31T13:26:58.126-07:00Simplified Extraterrestrial Cargo and Crew Landing Vehicles for the SLS<span id="goog_826004110"></span><span id="goog_826004111"></span> <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ojcr4BnqEpE/W2DF-BLPeII/AAAAAAAAEYk/rioImPTB2bIdKQ6besCemurYm4swsYZcwCLcBGAs/s1600/ELV-3%2BCrew%2Blander%2Bon%2Bthe%2BMoon.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="484" data-original-width="546" height="353" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ojcr4BnqEpE/W2DF-BLPeII/AAAAAAAAEYk/rioImPTB2bIdKQ6besCemurYm4swsYZcwCLcBGAs/s400/ELV-3%2BCrew%2Blander%2Bon%2Bthe%2BMoon.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Notional crewed ELV-3 on the surface of the Moon</b> </td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;">by Marcel F. Williams</span></span><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">D</span>uring NASA's Constellation program, the American space agency chose Boeing's Altair concept as the landing vehicle design to&nbsp; return American astronauts to the surface of the Moon.</b> As a two staged (descent and ascent) crew landing vehicle and as a single stage cargo landing vehicle,&nbsp; the Altair was supposed to be housed in the large payload fairing of the Ares V super heavy lift rocket. But in 2010, the Constellation program was&nbsp; canceled by the Obama administration, a decision that became law in April of 2011. And this ended the development of&nbsp; Ares V and Altair lunar landing vehicle.&nbsp; <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nnYxEK0FITs/W15odEtg8PI/AAAAAAAAEX4/vfrtokdvRUwKJZ6vC0FdH-wmONkYq_J4wCLcBGAs/s1600/Altair-Crew.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="355" data-original-width="371" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nnYxEK0FITs/W15odEtg8PI/AAAAAAAAEX4/vfrtokdvRUwKJZ6vC0FdH-wmONkYq_J4wCLcBGAs/s1600/Altair-Crew.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Notional Altair crew landing vehicle (Credit: NASA)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4nlUWCAmfOU/W15oqp4XnxI/AAAAAAAAEYA/7VMWEahMu8cGcF_9DwXCzGru37NxqS0UgCLcBGAs/s1600/Altair-Cargo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="283" data-original-width="341" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4nlUWCAmfOU/W15oqp4XnxI/AAAAAAAAEYA/7VMWEahMu8cGcF_9DwXCzGru37NxqS0UgCLcBGAs/s1600/Altair-Cargo.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Notional Altair cargo landing vehicle (Credit: NASA)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>A year later, Congress began funding a new heavy lift program, the Space Launch System (SLS), &nbsp; while continuing to fund the development of the&nbsp; Orion component of the Constellation program. While there has been no significant Congressional funding for a lunar landing vehicle, a large variety of a vehicle concepts have been proposed to return American astronauts and cargo back to the lunar surface by several space companies. &nbsp; <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TJrCJffcbvM/W1d2DqOeIEI/AAAAAAAAEVc/tfyNnz4ShvAJl6RtwZ6uk0UjnVB3GybawCLcBGAs/s1600/2.4%2Bmeter%2BCryotank.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="297" data-original-width="289" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TJrCJffcbvM/W1d2DqOeIEI/AAAAAAAAEVc/tfyNnz4ShvAJl6RtwZ6uk0UjnVB3GybawCLcBGAs/s200/2.4%2Bmeter%2BCryotank.png" width="193" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2.4 meter super lightweight cryotank (Credit: Boeing Aerospace)</b></td></tr></tbody></table>Here, I propose another&nbsp; reusable extraterrestrial cargo and crew landing vehicle (the ELV-3) concept that would be much simpler than Boeing's Altair vehicle. The ELV-3 would be launched by the SLS and utilized&nbsp; to&nbsp; deploy very large and heavy cargo or crews to the lunar surface. And with the addition of a HIAD or an ADEPT deceleration shield, the ELV-3 could also deploy largo cargoes and crew to the surface of Mars.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K6jnmRqvECA/W1dz3u7sdHI/AAAAAAAAEVQ/F5jl2YslxeY0P5euwsyPUvmFaxdWJP89gCLcBGAs/s1600/ELV-3%2BCargo%2Bnew%2Bthrusters%2BA.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="360" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K6jnmRqvECA/W1dz3u7sdHI/AAAAAAAAEVQ/F5jl2YslxeY0P5euwsyPUvmFaxdWJP89gCLcBGAs/s320/ELV-3%2BCargo%2Bnew%2Bthrusters%2BA.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Notional ELV-3 lunar lander display retractable panel</b></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CPxTfbAHouE/W1dzFhJ3VmI/AAAAAAAAEVI/YkzMqhhT-z0_aifVQmSSfEN4CnmbUNTNQCLcBGAs/s1600/LOX%253ALH2%2BX-Ray%2Bb.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="295" data-original-width="355" height="265" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CPxTfbAHouE/W1dzFhJ3VmI/AAAAAAAAEVI/YkzMqhhT-z0_aifVQmSSfEN4CnmbUNTNQCLcBGAs/s320/LOX%253ALH2%2BX-Ray%2Bb.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>X-ray view of three tank configuration for ELV-3</b></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K97hfPyEvFQ/W1doFo66oHI/AAAAAAAAEUo/4Ub_MC5XKc4Bf8VEkodRI8DfGEvCgSx8ACLcBGAs/s1600/ELV-3%2Bradiation%2Bwall%2BB.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="310" data-original-width="375" height="264" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K97hfPyEvFQ/W1doFo66oHI/AAAAAAAAEUo/4Ub_MC5XKc4Bf8VEkodRI8DfGEvCgSx8ACLcBGAs/s320/ELV-3%2Bradiation%2Bwall%2BB.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>View of ELV-3 radiator and side thrusters</b></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pr_a50A8GJw/W1d3wdiI3wI/AAAAAAAAEVo/KNLIkxHYP3IhtJXpMq6MjYwZ4tJ5tao7ACLcBGAs/s1600/ELV-3%2Btop%2BX-Ray%2Btanks%2Bb.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="618" data-original-width="618" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pr_a50A8GJw/W1d3wdiI3wI/AAAAAAAAEVo/KNLIkxHYP3IhtJXpMq6MjYwZ4tJ5tao7ACLcBGAs/s320/ELV-3%2Btop%2BX-Ray%2Btanks%2Bb.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Top x-ray view of ELV-3 and its three tank configuration</b></td></tr></tbody></table>Technologically, the notional ELV-3 spacecraft proposed here would be a substantially simpler vehicle than Boeing's canceled Altair spacecraft. Instead of the Altair's descent vehicle's four liquid oxygen tanks accompanied by four liquid hydrogen tanks, the ELV-3 would have just two 2.4 meter in diameter hydrogen tanks plus one 2.4 meter in diameter liquid oxygen tank, all linear aligned within an octagonal shaped cruciform.<br /><br />&nbsp;The problems associated with eight feedlines, differential tank pull due to unuasable propellant, increased tank heating resulting from the numerous tank penetrations, problems with pressure control during burns and long coastal phases caused by the large number of tanks are significantly reduced by reducing the cryotank numbers from eight down to just three. Utilizing just three tanks also reduces the overall mass of the tank weight.<br /><br />Problems associated with the RL-10 exhaust plume just a few meters above the lunar surface during landings could be alleviated by using side thrusters positioned well above the surface. Additionally, the IVF (Integrated Vehicle Fluids) ullage gas fueled thrusters could also be automatically extended outwards away from the side panels (more than 8.4 meters in diameter) for exceptionally large payloads that extend beyond the diameter of the octagonal panels.<br /><br />While the deck of the&nbsp; ELV-3 would be approximately two meters higher than the Altair, the ELV-3 would have the advantage of a substantial amount of empty space on each side of the linear aligned propellant tanks. Twin retractable wall panels on each side could&nbsp; accommodate a rectangular cargo area at least 7.2 meters high by 2.2 meters by 2.8 meters.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>ELV-3 - Cargo Lander </b></span><br /><br />One 2.4 meter in diameter LOX tank<br /><br />Two 2.4 meter in diameter LH2 tanks<br /><br />IVF thrusters utilize ullage gasses&nbsp; <br /><br />Dry mass: 8 tonnes<br /><br />Propellant mass: 31 tonnes <br /><br />Maximum cargo mass to lunar surface from NRO (Near Rectilinear Orbit):&nbsp; 30 tonnes<br /><br />Maximum cargo mass to lunar surface from LLO: 39 tonnes<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iGp0Nz7jnL8/W1d53MeHlZI/AAAAAAAAEV0/5bGZRzPVJIcRuMQ3G4DnLp5xsiZLs80YQCLcBGAs/s1600/ELV-3%2Bwith%2Bside%2Bcranes%2Band%2Btop%2Bcargo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="487" data-original-width="357" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iGp0Nz7jnL8/W1d53MeHlZI/AAAAAAAAEV0/5bGZRzPVJIcRuMQ3G4DnLp5xsiZLs80YQCLcBGAs/s400/ELV-3%2Bwith%2Bside%2Bcranes%2Band%2Btop%2Bcargo.png" width="291" /></a></td></tr><tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><b>Twin mobile lunar cranes stored within the ELV-3 side cargo areas with additional cargo located at the top central area </b></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The large dimensions of the side cargo areas would also be able to accommodate twin mobile lunar cranes with telescopic booms extending well above the the top deck.&nbsp; Each electric powered crane would be equipped with a cable hook for unloading large payloads and with cable clamshells for digging up and redepositing lunar regolith. With each mobile crane already weighing more than 12 tonnes, the deposition of lunar regolith (weighing approximately 1.5 tonnes per square meter) into the automatically expanded regolith bins of the other vehicle could increase each crane's counter weight by more than 18 tonnes. This would allow each mobile crane to be able to easily offload payloads on top of the ELV-3 weighing nearly 30 tonnes. If devices are deployed to the lunar surface to magnetically extract iron and other metallic dust&nbsp; from the top ten centimeters of lunar regolith then the deposition of this much heavy material into the regolith bins could easily increase the counter weights of the mobile cranes by more than 100 tonnes.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XA2ZtRL-TPA/W1d9SmpFNyI/AAAAAAAAEWA/WMmwCeyDkeUrK8Gnmd5ohq8vLgYH2M3SgCLcBGAs/s1600/ELV-3%2Bmobile%2Bcrane%2Bdeployment.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="436" data-original-width="791" height="220" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XA2ZtRL-TPA/W1d9SmpFNyI/AAAAAAAAEWA/WMmwCeyDkeUrK8Gnmd5ohq8vLgYH2M3SgCLcBGAs/s400/ELV-3%2Bmobile%2Bcrane%2Bdeployment.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Panel deployment of twin mobile lunar cranes&nbsp;&nbsp; </b></td></tr></tbody></table>The deployment of such mobile lunar cranes could, of course, be used to unload and transport payloads from a variety of other lunar landing cargo space craft.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2YN_SNc7cnM/W1eA719iNAI/AAAAAAAAEWU/6HbOglrTwG4Rdms892JC_uNvYK_sdUU1ACLcBGAs/s1600/Mobile%2BLunar%2BCrane%2BZ.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="448" height="177" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2YN_SNc7cnM/W1eA719iNAI/AAAAAAAAEWU/6HbOglrTwG4Rdms892JC_uNvYK_sdUU1ACLcBGAs/s400/Mobile%2BLunar%2BCrane%2BZ.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Notional electric powered mobile lunar crane</b></td></tr></tbody></table>The clamshell crane could also be used to deposit regolith within the surrounding walls of lunar habitats providing the large multilevel pressurized habitats with appropriate shielding against cosmic radiation (completely shielding the habitats from the heavy nuclei component). Such regolith shielding could provide the habitat with protection from micrometeorites and from the extreme thermal fluctuations from the lunar environment. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Cs95hWCqNlw/W1fG-PVLMwI/AAAAAAAAEXA/ZgJSpaqv4ycm_jGy18F2DFcNdOnU5qIwQCEwYBhgL/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-07-24%2Bat%2B5.39.51%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="607" data-original-width="631" height="383" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Cs95hWCqNlw/W1fG-PVLMwI/AAAAAAAAEXA/ZgJSpaqv4ycm_jGy18F2DFcNdOnU5qIwQCEwYBhgL/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-07-24%2Bat%2B5.39.51%2BPM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><b>Mobile lunar crane using its telescopic boom to lift a 20 tonne SLS propellant tank derived lunar habitat from the top of an ELV-3 cargo lander. The 20 tonne payload, of course, would weigh only one sixth as much on the lunar surface. </b></td></tr></tbody></table>The cargo version of the ELV-3 could also be utilized to transport large and heavy payloads to the martian surface if HIAD or ADEPT deceleration shields are utilized along with mobile cranes with lifting capabilities not too dissimilar to vehicles deployed to the lunar surface.&nbsp; <br /><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">ELV-3 - Crew lander</span> </b><br /><br />Dry mass with mass with passengers, cargo,&nbsp; and radiation shielding: 16 tonnes<br /><br />Maximum additional cargo to and from the lunar surface if able to refuel on the lunar surface: <span style="font-size: small;">14</span> tonnes<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ib1W5RFk4-k/W2AKuYGTgNI/AAAAAAAAEYQ/Q2U32HH9KSYfYI-W3jDf4IVcajMsyVgPACLcBGAs/s1600/ELV-3%2BCrew%2Bdescibed.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ib1W5RFk4-k/W2AKuYGTgNI/AAAAAAAAEYQ/Q2U32HH9KSYfYI-W3jDf4IVcajMsyVgPACLcBGAs/s400/ELV-3%2BCrew%2Bdescibed.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Notional ELV-3 crew landing vehicle</b></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>As a crew vehicle, the ELV-3 would use three pressurized modules derived from Boeing's 2.4 meter in diameter tank technology. The centrally positioned module (passenger module) would be the heaviest since it would be internally heavily shielded to protect astronauts from the exceptionally deleterious heavy nuclei component of cosmic rays. This would add at least four tonnes of extra shielding weight to the passenger module relative to the similar sized command module and airlock on opposite sides of the passenger module. The passenger module&nbsp; would also serve as a storm shelter in case of a major solar event when the ELV-3 is moving through cis-lunar space.<br /><br />Because of its weight and limited fuel (up to 31 tonnes of LOX/LH2 propellant), two&nbsp; vehicles would be required for round trip sortie missions between NRO and the lunar surface. One ELV-3 would be used to transport the other ELV-3 and its crew to low lunar orbit while the crewed ELV-3 would land on the lunar surface and then return to lunar orbit after its mission where the orbiting ELV-3 would transport both vehicles&nbsp; back to NRO.&nbsp; So spacecraft such as the ULA's XEUS (up to 68 tonnes of LOX/LH2 propellant) and Lockheed Martin's MADV (80 tonnes of LOX/LH2 propellant) would be much more capable than the ELV-3 as a crew launch vehicle for sortie missions since&nbsp; only one vehicle is required for sortie missions originating from NRO. <br /><br />However,&nbsp; once propellant producing depots are deployed to the lunar surface, only one ELV-3 vehicle would be required to transport crews between the Earth-Moon Lagrange points and the lunar surface and back. Additionally, the crewed versions of the ELV-3 would have a major advantage by being able to transport both astronauts plus more than 14 tonnes of additional payload to and from the lunar surface&nbsp; when fully fueled.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gD1TH81Hbns/W1ofCMjBKyI/AAAAAAAAEXs/qds-7yaet4w5IXIhwlPSl9tqqu14SsnwACLcBGAs/s1600/ELV-3%2Bcrew%2BEVA.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="395" data-original-width="400" height="316" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gD1TH81Hbns/W1ofCMjBKyI/AAAAAAAAEXs/qds-7yaet4w5IXIhwlPSl9tqqu14SsnwACLcBGAs/s320/ELV-3%2Bcrew%2BEVA.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><b>After a side panel is deployed, astronauts ride an electric powered scissor lift down towards the lunar surface </b></td></tr></tbody></table>If propellant producing water depots are deployed at LEO and NRO, the ELV-3 could also be used transport crews between LEO and NRO. This would provide NASA and private commercial space transportation companies with an alternate means from LEO to the Lagrange points. &nbsp; <br /><br />Utilizing its side cargo areas,&nbsp; an unmanned ELV-3 could also be used&nbsp; to deploy a multitude of mobile robots to the surfaces the Moon, the moons of Mars (Deimos and Phobos), to the moons of Jupiter (Io, Ganymede, Europa, and Callisto), and even to the surfaces of some of the the largest asteroids in the asteroid belt (Ceres, Vesta, Pallas, etc.).&nbsp; <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><b>Links and References</b><br /><br /><a href="https://www.ulalaunch.com/docs/default-source/exploration/dual-thrust-axis-lander-(dtal)-2009.pdf"><span style="font-size: small;">Robust Lunar Exploration Using an Efficient Lunar Lander Derived from Existing Upper Stages</span></a><br /><div style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 30px; left: 228.6px; top: 161.38px; transform: scaleX(0.971544);"><span style="font-size: small;">&nbsp;</span> </div><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altair_(spacecraft)">Altair spacecraft </a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.boeing.com/features/2014/03/corp-fuel-tanks-03-18-14.page">Tanks for a Great Idea</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.nasa.gov/topics/technology/features/cryotank.html">Game Changing Propellant Tank</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.boeingimages.com/archive/2.4-meter-composite-cryogenic-tank-at-Boeing-Developmental-Center-2JRSXLJJI7VH.html">2.4 meter composite cryogenic tank at Boeing Developmental Center</a><br /><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><a href="http://newpapyrusmagazine.blogspot.com/2014/06/pioneering-and-commercial-advantages-of.html"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Pioneering and Commercial Advantages of Permanent Outpost on the Moon and Mars</span></span></a></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><a href="http://newpapyrusmagazine.blogspot.com/2017/10/lockheed-martins-reusable.html"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Lockheed Martin's Reusable Extraterrestrial Landing Vehicle Concept for the Moon and Mars</span></span></a></h3><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />Marcel F. Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16245086958213100840noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8809438035746342262.post-12704717256026418312018-07-24T20:00:00.001-07:002018-07-24T20:00:48.757-07:00Death of a Plesiosaur<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/54acHHUqObM" width="410"></iframe><br /><br /><b>Links and References</b><br /><br /><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plesiosauria">Plesiosauria</a><br /><br />Marcel F. Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16245086958213100840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8809438035746342262.post-42878280380538433892018-07-17T00:33:00.000-07:002018-07-17T00:33:00.814-07:00A Day that Will Live in Infamy<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JDlV7OCCg2o/W02Yqazne8I/AAAAAAAAEUc/441d5QENgU452awPIAOyOR0q9kKFWRGcwCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-07-16%2Bat%2B10.03.58%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="626" data-original-width="525" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JDlV7OCCg2o/W02Yqazne8I/AAAAAAAAEUc/441d5QENgU452awPIAOyOR0q9kKFWRGcwCLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-07-16%2Bat%2B10.03.58%2BPM.png" width="335" /></a></div><b>Links and References</b><br /><br /><h1 class="pg-headline"><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/16/politics/donald-trump-putin-helsinki-summit/index.html"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Trump sides with Putin over US intelligence</span></span></a></h1><h1 class="headline__title"><a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-putin-treason-searches_us_5b4d1330e4b0de86f485ada1"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">‘Treason’ Is Top Searched Word After Trump-Putin Press Conference</span></span></a></h1><h1 class="content__headline" itemprop="headline"><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global/video/2018/jul/16/trump-winks-at-putin-at-start-of-helsinki-summit-video"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">Trump winks at Putin at start of Helsinki summit</span></span></a> </h1><h1 class="c-article-header__hed" itemprop="headline"><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/07/trump-putin/565310/"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The Crisis Facing America</span></span></a></h1><h1 class="story-body__h1"><a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-44854786"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Trump-Putin summit: US president under fire over poll meddling comments</span></span></a></h1>Marcel F. Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16245086958213100840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8809438035746342262.post-84208760410210414372018-07-13T19:57:00.000-07:002018-07-13T19:57:17.902-07:00John Bucknell on Mining Lunar Ice for Cis-Lunar Habitat <iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/778NLOXs7JI" width="410"></iframe><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pDQb0W-Pc2w/W0llxq3ONsI/AAAAAAAAETg/GlcZ9Whau7Iy8krPZ_lPtVuKWTahg-cvQCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-07-13%2Bat%2B7.34.54%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="387" height="226" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pDQb0W-Pc2w/W0llxq3ONsI/AAAAAAAAETg/GlcZ9Whau7Iy8krPZ_lPtVuKWTahg-cvQCLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-07-13%2Bat%2B7.34.54%2BPM.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a-tffqzqdMQ/W0lmAyJQUtI/AAAAAAAAETk/rd4jWWSgiwAap84gdxRj3Qk7UhPwLrWKACLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-07-13%2Bat%2B7.35.40%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="228" data-original-width="355" height="256" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a-tffqzqdMQ/W0lmAyJQUtI/AAAAAAAAETk/rd4jWWSgiwAap84gdxRj3Qk7UhPwLrWKACLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-07-13%2Bat%2B7.35.40%2BPM.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MN-odXveFLI/W0lmH1kbJ9I/AAAAAAAAETs/21TI6pL-DJkFAjQuQZSSWr0Sx-F-b3z0wCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-07-13%2Bat%2B7.36.05%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="223" data-original-width="395" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MN-odXveFLI/W0lmH1kbJ9I/AAAAAAAAETs/21TI6pL-DJkFAjQuQZSSWr0Sx-F-b3z0wCLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-07-13%2Bat%2B7.36.05%2BPM.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />Marcel F. Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16245086958213100840noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8809438035746342262.post-90664170480710838822018-06-13T12:16:00.000-07:002018-06-13T12:16:19.645-07:00First Man<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/O9Y7DTCn7Cc" width="410"></iframe><br />Marcel F. Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16245086958213100840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8809438035746342262.post-14153017199517568432018-06-05T19:11:00.000-07:002018-06-05T19:11:20.606-07:00Cis-Lunar Gateways and the Advantages of Near Rectilinear Orbits <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ki78n670z-M/WxV-649WM6I/AAAAAAAAESk/Hmr_Iy0-5oYKEW_jNZLpApaFTJ6cT6hVwCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-06-04%2Bat%2B11.02.27%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="385" data-original-width="508" height="302" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ki78n670z-M/WxV-649WM6I/AAAAAAAAESk/Hmr_Iy0-5oYKEW_jNZLpApaFTJ6cT6hVwCLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-06-04%2Bat%2B11.02.27%2BAM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><b>Computer illustration of Near Rectilinear Orbits between EML1 and EML2 (Credit: NASA). </b></td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">N</span>ASA appears to have settled on a Near Rectilinear L2 Halo Orbit (NRO) for its future Deep Space Habitat (DSH).&nbsp;</span></b> NROs are a subset of of L1 or L2 halo&nbsp; orbits. NRO's have&nbsp; large amplitudes over either the north or south lunar poles with shorter periods that pass closely to the opposite pole. Station keeping at an NRO would require a delta-v of only 5 m/s per year. With an impulsive departure from LEO at about 3.124 km/s, a crewed spacecraft would reach an L2&nbsp; NRO in about 5.33 days. Orbital capture would require a delta-v of 0.829 km/s.&nbsp;<br /><br />An&nbsp; EML1 location for a DSH&nbsp; would only require a delta-v of&nbsp; 3.77 km/s and four days of travel time. But 2 days of travel time would be required for a journey from EML1 to Low Lunar Orbit (LLO). An NRO location, however, would only require 12 hours of travel time to LLO. So the surface of the Moon could be accessed from a NRO located Deep Space Hab in just 12 hours.<br /><br /><br /><b>Possible Cis-Lunar Locations for a DSH (Deep Space Habitat)</b><br /><br /><b>EML1(Earth-Moon Lagrange Point One):</b><br /><br /><br />Travel time to and&nbsp; from LEO:&nbsp; ~4 days (3.77 km/s)<br /><br />Station keeping: &lt; 10 m/s per year<br /><br />Travel time to and from LLO: ~ 2 days (0.750 km/s)<br /><br /><br /><b>EML2&nbsp; (Earth Moon Lagrange Point Two):</b><br /><br /><br />Travel time to and&nbsp; from LEO:~ 8 days from LEO (3.43 km/s)<br /><br />Station keeping &lt; 10 m/s per year<br /><br />Travel time to and from LLO:~ 3 days to LLO (0.8 km/s)<br /><br /><br /><b>DRO (</b><span style="font-family: &quot;Times&quot;; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Distant Retrograde Orbit):</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Times&quot;; font-size: 12pt;"><b>&nbsp;</b></span> <br /> <br />Travel time to and&nbsp; from LEO: ~ 6 days<br /><br />Station keeping: 0 m/s per year<br /><br />Travel time to and from LLO: ~ 4 days&nbsp; (0.83 km/s)<br /><br /><br /><b>NRO: <span style="font-size: small;">(Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit):</span></b><br /><br /><br />Travel time to and&nbsp; from LEO:~5 days from LEO (3.95 km/s)<br /><br />Station keeping: 5 m/s per year<br />&nbsp;<br />Travel time to and from LLO:~ 12 hours to LLO (0.730 km/s)<br /><br /><br /><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/X5O77OV9_ek" width="410"></iframe> <br /><br />Significantly shorter flight times from LEO to NRO could be achieved with higher delta-v levels that could easily be achieved by future reusable LOX/LH2 fueled spacecraft such as the ULA's XEUS and Lockheed Martin's MADV which could be used for round trip journeys to the lunar surface from a NRO and for transporting crews between LEO and NRO. <br /><br /><br /><b>Links and References&nbsp;</b><br />&nbsp; <br /><div class="page" title="Page 1"> <div class="section"> <div class="layoutArea"> <div class="column"> <b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;NimbusRomNo9L&quot;;"><a href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20150019648.pdf">Options for Staging Orbits in Cis-Lunar Space</a>&nbsp;</span></span></b><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;NimbusRomNo9L&quot;; font-weight: 500;"> </span></span><br /><div class="page" title="Page 1"> <div class="layoutArea"> <div class="column"> <a href="https://engineering.purdue.edu/people/kathleen.howell.1/Publications/Conferences/2017_IAA_ZimHowDav.pdf"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;NimbusSanL&quot;;">NEAR RECTILINEAR HALO ORBITS ANDTHEIR APPLICATION IN CIS-LUNAR SPACE</span></span></a><br /><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br /><div class="page" title="Page 1"> <div class="section"> <div class="layoutArea"> <div class="column"> <a href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20170001352.pdf"><span style="font-family: &quot;NimbusSanL&quot;; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">TARGETING CISLUNAR NEAR RECTILINEAR HALO ORBITS FORHUMAN SPACE EXPLORATION</span></span></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;NimbusSanL&quot;; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">&nbsp;<b><a href="https://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/leag2012/presentations/Connolly.pdf">Human Lunar Exploration Architectures</a></b></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;NimbusSanL&quot;; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;NimbusSanL&quot;; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">&nbsp;</span></span><span style="font-family: 'NimbusSanL'; font-size: 14.000000pt; font-weight: 700;"></span><br /> </div></div></div></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;NimbusRomNo9L&quot;; font-weight: 500;">&nbsp;</span></span><br /> </div></div></div></div>Marcel F. Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16245086958213100840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8809438035746342262.post-14187780398095648852018-05-16T18:20:00.000-07:002018-05-16T18:22:28.186-07:00Bell V-280 Valor in Flight<br /><br /><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/723vkZxfqSU" width="410"></iframe><br />&nbsp; <br /><br /><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YK7eX4s8YIg" width="410"></iframe><br /><br /><br /><b>Links and References</b><br /><h1 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_V-280_Valor"><span style="font-size: small;">Bell V-280 Valor</span></a></h1><h1 class="post-headline"><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/watch-armys-new-v-280-helicopter-flying-in-cruise-mode-for-first-time-2018-5"><span style="font-size: small;">Watch the Army's futuristic V-280 helicopter flying in cruise mode for the first time</span></a></h1><h1 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_Boeing_V-22_Osprey"><span style="font-size: small;">Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey</span></a></h1><h1 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en"><span style="font-size: small;">&nbsp;</span></h1><h1 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></h1>Marcel F. Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16245086958213100840noreply@blogger.com0